Christmas Concluded

Wow, we made it! Christmas was SO MUCH FUN! Mary Katherine will be 3 ... T-H-R-E-E ... in 28 days which I absolutely cannot believe. Needless to say she was fired up about Christmas. Christmas Eve consisted of roasting marshmallows and weenies in the fireplace, then baking cookies for Santa. I love doing fun 'kid' things! Once she was fast asleep - and I woke up from my cat nap in the rocking chair at 10:00 - I proceeded to BEGIN wrapping presents. That's right, not one present wrapped before 10pm on Christmas Eve!! Christmas morning was of course fun. Santa left MK a note telling her what a good girl she'd been (via updates from Sadie Elf) and she was mesmerized that 'Santa ate all the cookies'. Here she is with Old Saint Nick.
One of the literal ZILLION gifts she received was this tractor that drives, talks, and sings. She's a farm girly girl - meaning she owns more shoes than I do, big hair bows are a must, and sitting at the vanity to dry, brush, and curl her hair is a daily regimen; but she's a farm girl at heart. Wearing water boots, checking on cows and driving the tractor are probably some of her favorite things to do! Check out the driver of the tractor!
Back to the birthday thing. I have a summer birthday so never experienced celebrating barely a month after Christmas. Not fair to the Christmas people! Everyone is still 'hung over' from all the Christmas shopping or just 'saves' a would-be Christmas gift for a birthday present. So, I always make an extra effort to keep her birthday separate and speacial. One last shot - LOVE Applique Cafe's Zig Zag Tiara - only three quick steps!! Notice MK is holding three fingers, she's practicing!!!
Excited about 2011, but enjoying my mini sewing vacation. I guess I'll officially be back on duty over the weekend or beginning of next week. Happy New Year everyone!!

Christmas on a Budget

Quick post! I love giving 'homemade' gifts ... add cost efficient and you can't go wrong! I purchased a 2-pack of white waffle weave guest towels at Target for $4.50-ish. Applique Momma's single ornament design - cute and quick. I used SWP to merge in an initial and topped the ornament off with a cute red bow.
With my investment totaling less than $3 per teacher - even though I thought they turned out SUPER CUTE - I picked up another gift as well.

We spent Sunday afternoon in the cooooold/wind attempting to get a Christmas card picture. Not sure this will be the one, but cute non the less. Also, love the Applique Cafe zig zag Christmas tree design in pink and lime green. A break from the traditional Christmas colors.
I've made a pretty good dent in my Christmas shopping. A few more things to get (not sure when!) + pictures with Santa. HOPING to finish all Christmas related items by the end of this weekend. Fingers Crossed! Merry Christmas!!!!!

Last Call!

18-ish days until Christmas! WOW! I have been so blessed with lots of great customers over the past several months. Looking forward to working with everyone in 2011! After reviewing the outstanding number of orders to be completed before Christmas, and the fact that I still have LOTS of Christmas shopping to do, I have decided to place a hold on new orders for now. Orders to be completed by/for Christmas that is. Non-Christmas orders, Valentine, Easter, etc. orders can be placed at any time ... but realistically will probably not be completed until the beginning of January. Any questions, please email me as always :)

Another Christmas outfit. This was my first attempt on an ITH (In The Hoop) project. The entire shirt was done on my embroidery machine!Basic Christmas tree appliqueRibbons pinned in place and covered with Glad Press-n-Seal to prevent the presser foot from snagging on the ribbonsThe finished product!

Mary Katherine was having a snack the other day (Teddy Graham's & Capri Sun) and I looked over after she'd been at the table for a few minutes...
She'd organized the bears I poured out in a pile into this neat line! Can we say OCD? Like her mother!!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

For so many reasons!! #1: The celebration of the birth of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ; #2: Spending time with family; A tie for #'s 3 & 4: Decorations and cute clothes!! Working on several Christmas outfits for MK in addition to outfits to give as Christmas gifts.

Outfit #1: Cord A-line dress with ruffle. Love this furry PINK snowman :)

Outfit #2: Applique Cafe JOY shirt & polka dot ruffle pants. Can't wait to wear this one! The picture really doesn't do this outfit justice.

We ran across these cute knit pants at Wal-Mart for $5 each!! I was so excited the pants were being sold separatley and not as an outfit. We already had the turtlenecks, so just need to add applique/monogram. So cute for play and less than $10 per OUTFIT!

Our Christmas trees are up, stockings hung, and wreaths ... well, they've been hung, twice, but my hooks keep falling! Grr! Heading back to the store to find super duper sticky hooks for my front windows. Christmas orders (actual Christmas appliques OR gifts for Christmas) will be very limited. I have allotted myself a set number of sewing days for holiday stuff. All Christmas related items will be completed by mid-December. I will continue to accept non-holiday orders after the Christmas cut off date, but plan to take a sew-cation and enjoy Christmas with my family.

Organization Makes Me Happy!

I usually have a pretty good idea of my "To Do's", but, during this busy time of year I really have to keep an accurate count. I mentioned a couple of posts back about implementing a sewing schedule for myself. A good idea, but when I have more orders than can be completed in the allotted sewing time, I improvised with Plan B.
A shelf with tubs labeled with days of the week! With my new plan in place the items to be completed on any given day are shouting "you cannot sleep until you finish me!"
As of today, I'm pretty much booked up through November. As always, email me with any questions regarding potential orders.

A couple shirts from this week's orders...

Last, but certainly not least, I MUST share this pastel portrait of my beautiful daughter!!!!

Gobble Gobble!

Can’t wait to get this Gobble Gobble turkey outfit on MK! The brown minky dot ruffle pants are SO soft and cute!!! I opted to do Mary Katherine’s turkey in fall colors, however, a quick change of fabric and this little turkey can be really girly, fit for the boys, you name it!!

Here’s another turquoise/red outfit! So cute! We got lots of compliments on this little outfit while we were out shopping over the weekend. I spent probably an hour trying to decide which applique design/fabrics to use for the shirt and finally settled on this 3 letter monogram which I think turned out cute. Love the ruffle turtleneck from Old Navy! And the red polka dot shoes which Mary Katherine specifically requested :) She loves her shoes!The current total of items on my “To Do” list hasn’t budged much (which is a good thing!). Every time I finish an order, another one – or two or three – comes in! As I’ve mentioned before, please be sure to let me know if you need something by a specific date. If you do not provide a specified date, your item will be completed in the order it was received.

I have several completed orders that are awaiting pickup and payment. Please contact me ASAP!!

That's all for now. Heading home to sew like crazy!!

Playing Catch Up!

Whew! I can tell it's here - that time of year when we have some sort of event every day it seems like! We've had the fair, MK's school fall festival, the pumpkin patch, another fall festival, a Halloween party, and trick-or-treating!! Whew, again! So, in that order...
The fair. SO MUCH FUN! Mary Katherine, Aiden & I rode this kiddie roller coaster. I'll admit I was glad when the ride was over :)The Pumpkin Patch. My camera battery died before the end of the trip. Again, lots of fun. So thankful for Oxy Clean - I never thought her clothes would come clean!Trick or Treat! Look at this cutie! I was so proud of our homemade costume. What started as big rolls of tulle, some fabric, ribbon, and buttons ended up as this itsy bitsy spider. I even SEWED her candy bag! Yay me :)

In the midst of our busy schedules I've been sewing and coordinating a portrait session for myself and several other moms throughout the state. I cannot wait to see the pastel painting of Mary Katherine! Oh, and thanks to Mrs. Barbara Mitchell (Treasured Memories) for a GORGEOUS dress!!

I went on an organizing/cleaning frenzy in my little sewing room yesterday. Here's my sewing 'space'. Is this what every one's sewing table looks like?! I think maybe I need a bigger table for my embroidery machine, sewing machine, laptop, ironing board, etc. As I mentioned in my last post, we will have a cut off date for Thanksgiving/Christmas orders. Thanksgiving outfits will be featured on the blog/Facebook ASAP and Christmas outfits will follow shortly thereafter. I'm excited - we have some cute stuff!!!

Birthday Parties & My Schedule

Now that MK is getting on in years (2 3/4 years to be exact!) she's realized that birthday parties are TONS of fun. You have cake, and gifts, and lots of other little kids to play with - how can one go wrong?! She sings along with "Happy Birthday", but sometimes insists it is her birthday :) I'd given her advanced notice that we had a party to attend on Sunday afternoon so she was excited. As soon as nap time was over, we jumped up, got all dolled up for the party and headed out. Here she is before Aiden's party...
At the party - since this was a rodeo clown party, we painted our faces. You can't really tell in the b&w picture (but I love black & white pics!)
And the BIRTHDAY BOY!
We had lots of fun. MK was like a little zombie when we got home - she played so hard!!

MY NEW SCHEDULE: My hubby called my hand a few nights ago and asked why I didn't have a sewing schedule (since I have schedules for everything else!). And he's right! Some nights I sew frantically until 1-2am and some nights I never make it out of the rocking chair from getting MK to sleep. I've tentatively decided to sew on Monday & Wednesday nights after Mary Katherine's bed time, Saturday & Sunday during nap time, and weekend nights are optional. I'm sure there's a psychological word for it, but I require a physical schedule I can see in writing in order to achieve optimal productivity :) Of course there will be rush orders that may require working on an "off" day, but I feel more at ease with my new schedule in place.

Oh, and Christmas. Please be prepared for a cut-off date for Christmas orders. I've gone back and forth on my cut-off date, but I will most likely not take any NEW orders for CHRISTMAS items somewhere after December 10th. So, if your order is for a Christmas item, or a gift for Christmas, please keep this in mind. I will continue to take other orders after the cut-off date, but the Christmas orders will of course take precedence. I want to keep my sanity (at least a little of it) and of course have plenty of QT with my fam during the holidays.

As always, please email me with any questions. I have so been the mom with the shirt for the Christmas picture a week before Christmas. So, if you are that mom too, I'll be glad to squeeze you in ;)

Yeeeeeehaw!!

Our family along with a huge group of friends and fellow horse folk loaded up and went on a 20+ mile trail ride this weekend! So much fun! My friend and partner in crime, Saundra & I decided our girls needed matching shirts for the trail ride. We looked at several western themed designs, but finally decided on a "yeehaw" shirt...
We originally planned to have all the kids ride in a wagon, but Mary Katherine insisted "I ride with you Daddy!"
Thankfully Monday was a holiday, so we got to catch up on a few things around home. I always insist on decorating for Fall on October 1st, but never quite seem make it. Here's our scarecrow, and we have a huge pumpkin to carve too! After all the decorating was complete I realized I must be partial to scarecrows...one on the front door, one on the back door, one on the mantle, and the big one by the driveway!
Amongst all the trail riding and decorating I did manage to squeeze in some sewing as well. Do you ever buy something and think that you don't want to add your child's name because you can't re-sale it later? Well, worry no more! A customer bought this outfit at a consignment sale for just a few dollars (here's the BEFORE picture)...
I added a circle patch and initial, and here's the AFTER picture...
The same customer also snagged these cute ruffle pants, but needed a coordinating shirt. I love pairing black/white prints as you'll continue to see. Zebra + pink minky...
Last, but not least. Sorry for the long post, I've had a lot going on! A customer requested a shirt with 3 initials inside a circle patch similar to Applique Momma's ornament trio, but something that will work for any season. Thanks to the ever popular Sew What Pro I was able to merge three circle patches, increased the size of the center patch slightly, then added initials. I also opted to use the zig-zag stitch.
I liked this shirt so much that I did the same design for MK on a pink shirt I'd bought a while back and put up for just such an occasion :) Perfect w/ black leggings!!
Till next time :)

I Heart MK

I've had some sappy moments lately - adoring the beautiful little girl that my baby is growing into, but deeply saddened that my sweet little "Toot Toot" is growing so quickly!! My newly acquired mission: enjoy every moment, spend less time doing other things and more time cuddling on the couch watching a movie, or playing dress up, or dancing when our favorite song comes on. One other thing - keep the camera handy!

Is it just me, or does everyone's kids come home from school this dirty?! I love it!! Well, I love that she's having so much fun, but getting all the stains out can be a little tricky :)While I do welcome the cooler fall weather (COOL, not cold!) I really enjoy the change of scenery. Leaves changing, pumpkins, scarecrows, etc. I snapped a pic of MK after church on Sunday. This is a simple little smocked dress from last year, I let out the hem and we're good to go for another year! Look how grown-up she looks!!!
It's safe to put your tissue away now, I'll save the rest of my poor pitiful Mama whose baby is growing too quickly stories for another day. I finished several shirts yesterday. This little guy is ready for any sports event, fall, and Christmas!
8 weeks til Thanksgiving, 11 weeks til Christmas! Please order early if you can :)

2 Sewing Machines Are Better Than 1!!

Something that's been in the works for a while now finally came to life yesterday in Turkey Tales sewing room. OUTFITS!! So, not only can you get a super cute applique/monogram shirt, now you can get coordinating pants to complete the outfit! I hate I didn't take pictures while we both worked away at our respective ends of the table! Saundra Perrett is in charge of the sewing and I'm in charge of the applique/monogram.



We currently offer the ruffle & double ruffle pants as pictured. Coming soon will be A-line dresses. And like I always say, the creative possibilities are endless with these outfits!! You can have one pair of pants to match multiple shirts, or several individual outfits. If you are interested in ordering one or more of our custom outfits, please contact Turkey Tales ASAP to place your order.

New Somethings!

I mentioned in our recent Facebook post about something new coming to Turkey Tales. Well, between then and now, there is more than one something!

Something #1: Monogrammed Koozies - I love these!! A great gift for lots of occasions or just 'cause. I will personally be giving a set for a friend's wedding gift this weekend. Remember when you were newly wed (barely!) and it was so much fun to get things with your NEW name on it?!


The koozies can be personalized with a 1 or 3 letter monogram, a name, or most anything you choose that will fit. Think house warming, wedding shower, off-to-college gift, bridesmaid/groomsman gift. Also a great way to show your team spirit - I love the houndstooth (or any black/white print) with red lettering for all you Bama fans out there!! Great for he's and she's and young and old alike - remember, it's not required that you be drinking an adult beverage to sport your personalized koozie! Available for cans, water bottles, and 'other' bottles - solid colors, giraffe, damask, zebra, camo and many others. Color of koozie and print is customized specifically for you!

Something #2: Stephen Joseph children's gifts - so cute! Stephen Joseph offers insanely precious quilted backpacks (which can double as diaper bag), duffel bags and aprons.




Think Christmas (Barely THREE months away!), birthdays, etc. These are so cute with initials or name added! Many more options to choose from. Orders for the Stephen Joseph items will be placed in groups for the best shipping rate.

Please email with any questions about our new items. That's all for now!

Attention all Moms:

If you are interested in having a pastel painting of your child/children by one of the greatest artists around, please EMAIL me ASAP. The Charleston House Gallery in Montgomery, AL is offering a session by Arthur Smith for a maximum of 10 portraits. Slots will be filled on a first come first served basis.


A friend's portrait by Arthur Smith. BEAUTIFUL!

The sessions usually last 1 hour for 1 child and 1.5 hours for 2 children. Paintings are 16 x 20 pastels. The cost for one child is $100 + tax; the cost for two children is $150 + tax. If you have 2 children and choose to have separate portraits, it will still be $100 each + tax. The tentative date is mid-October 2010. More information to follow. Please visit Charleston House Framing on the web to see their beautiful selection of custom frames.

Serious inquiries only, please. All portraits must be paid in full up front.

Take A Number!

Here are a few shirts I've finished recently. Ava still has a few to be completed and little brother Greyson is going to have coordinating outfits as well. Can't wait to get some pics of those cuties in their bro/sis outfits!! The Sports Ball Combo/Field Goal/Pumpkin Dump Truck turned out cute as well! I do so many appliques on white shirts so it's nice to throw in a little color now and then.


I think I must've had the camera's flash turned off?? Love these, can't decide which is my fave!

I'm still hovering around the same amount of "To Do" items. Seems like when I get a few finished, I get new orders in, which is a good thing! Ask anyone, I'm an OCD list maker. So to keep things organized I have a list of all my orders, the date received, and the level of priority. This helps to keep me on track!

Big news at the Jones household! Mary Katherine wore big girl undies to school this morning (without a Pull-Up over them! Ha!). She's been doing an awesome job, so I figure we have to wear big girl undies outside of home at some point. So proud of my big girl!! But so sad she's growing up so fast!

Den of the Baby Cougars

Have you ever been so pleased with something that you just have to share? This is totally unrelated to my usual monogram/applique gabbing, but I wanted to give credit where credit is due :)


Crenshaw Christian Academy, conveniently located 0.4 miles from my office, is where Mary Katherine attends daycare...well, "school." The Den of the Baby Cougars is home to lots of sweet babies just like MK ages 18 months - 9 years (I think).

Mary Katherine has been at the daycare for almost a year, and just started Mrs. Lisa's K-2 class in August. Not only have they already learned shapes and colors, the class learns a new letter of the alphabet each day in addition to arts and crafts, coloring/painting, singing, and mini-field trips around the school's campus. I guess this is the norm for daycares now-a-days, even though the K-2 curriculum is pretty close to the curriculum most parents around my age studied in K-5!


K-2's recent field trip to the school's bus. They were studying "B" (bus, boat, etc.)

So, what am I so proud of?! In addition to the oodles of new things Mary Katherine excitedly tells me about each afternoon, she also learns a bible memory verse every week. There aren't many things sweeter than hearing your 2 year old recite a bible verse! Finally, and most comforting, is the love EVERY child receives from the daycare staff. So, to include everyone who contributes on a daily basis - (because it is a group effort) - THANK YOU to every teacher who gives hugs, teaches lessons, kisses boo-boo's, and even administers the dreaded stints in time out.

As for God, His way is perfect. Psalm 18:30

Thanks to all my girls at the day care! We appreciate all you do!!!!

New Designs!

Wow, have I been busy!! Since my last post I have received multiple orders daily which is AWESOME! Of the 12 or so new designs, here are a few (ALL designs are posted on the right side of the screen).

AC Football Goal

AF Bring Home Tree Truck

AM Baby Tiger

I had every intention of making a football/school shirt for Mary Katherine to wear today, then fell asleep while laying in bed w/ MK waiting for her to go to sleep!! I just happened to wake up around 11:30, drug myself out of bed and to the sewing room to start on her shirt. That's dedication in my book!

Sweet girl :)

We're still accepting your custom orders via email, Facebook, text, or however you choose to contact me! When placing orders, please be sure to specify when you will need your item. Some items are rush and some aren't needed right away, so I try to work my schedule based on everyone's needs. Last thing, please be sure to order in advance for Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas. Depending on the volume of orders, I may place a deadline for receiving new orders during the holidays.

Happy Friday everybody!!!