CfC Summer Order Recap

Here are some highlights from a few "Custom from Calista" orders over the past couple months!

Elephant applique & name shirts perfect for this trio of brothers

"Little Golden Book" themed diaper cake to coordinate with the baby shower

This special "Book Worm" onesie is perfect for parents who are avid readers

1st Birthday Onesie & matching Party Hat...pink & teal is such a great color combo!

The owner of this little onesie arrived just before Independence Day 2013... perfect attire thanks to his mamma!

Photo credit: Andrea Fuller Photography

Faux 'dog tag' necklace onesie, perfect for the below newborn photo shoot:

Photo credit: Andrea Fuller Photography

This handsome man finally fits into the onesie (and clipon bowtie) I gifted him at THIS awesome baby shower!

a fun 'ice cream' applique bib to match this cutie's 1st birthday party invitation

another faux 'dog tag' necklace onesie - this time pink & girly!

My little {ballerina} dancer

A few months ago, Kapri came home from preschool asking to go to 'ballet school'. So I told her I'd talk with daddy and we'd see. I started looking into classes, but needed a weekend class...so we ended up at the YMCA, which happened to have a Sunday class, just for 3-yr olds starting mid-January!



We signed her up 2 weeks before the class started - she was so excited! She also saw a friend of hers from preschool while we were filling out paperwork...she hoped she'd be in the same class - but since there are classes ranging all week long, I was doubtful.

But sure enough, while waiting for her class to start...her friend Brooke showed up - they were SO happy to see each other & be in the same class!

I had a work conference to attend right after her 1st class (with a 2 hour drive up north), so I was grateful I got to go...she looked seriously adorable in her little outfit & sock bun.



The class started with her teacher & assistant going over a few rules & info, then the parents had to leave the room so all the little girls could focus and listen to the teacher's instructions.

For 45 minutes, James & I peaked through one of the windows and tried to take pictures through the blinds... she did so great following along - she definitely fit the part! We have a total of 18 classes, with a final dance recital just before her 4th birthday! I can't wait to see everything she learns :-)

Side note - we had a little plain bag for her ballet gear, but I found this cute canvas pink one....then embroidered it with her name and added some pinwheel fabric flowers to it and it's perf!

Ladybug Bday Outfit

I'm so proud of my latest completed order... and so happy that this mamma chose to order a very special 1st birthday outfit for her little girl. She told me it was a 'ladybug theme' and that she wanted her daughter to be 'decked out' - so I got busy making one of the cutest outfits I've made to date.

1st birthday 'custom' ladybug outfit

My first attempt at a party hat... complete with an embroidered "1", a ladybug applique and a tulle pom pom on top:

My first attempt at these fab little bow sandals...a bit tough, but turned out adorrrrable!

The whole set together... it's fabulous and I cannot WAIT to see the little birthday girl in it! Happy 1st birthday little E!!!

Baby Tag Blankies

Finished these fun little blankies about a month ago...totally forgot to add them to my blog! So here they are... seriously love minky fabric, just hate that it's so dang expensive!! And in my experience, all babies love tags, so I made sure to add a few on there. 

These are 20"x20" - and will only cost $20! (embroidery extra) - love - they are SO soft, and as always... completely customizable ;-)

These blankies were ordered with these fun onesies as well...man I'm obsessed with that pink ruffle ribbon I found!

These are such perfect baby shower gifts!

Introducing - my craft corner!

Calista's Craft Corner is DONE!

I cannot believe I have transformed this little area in only 4 days. I'm soooo mad at myself for not taking a BEFORE picture. But you can just imagine it in your head....computer monitor, keyboard, mouse/mouse pad, speakers, stacks of paper, blank/recordable CD's, and an old school 1985-style hideous lamp.

Booorrrringgggg. It needed a little T.L.C.

Prepare for picture overload...excuse the crappy iPhone pic quality...cam is still on the fritz. I'm so much more inspired now with my bright 'n cheerful craft space & cannot WAIT to create more fabulous "Custom from Calista" orders here in this little corner!! Bring it!

So first is my repurposed "CRAFT" sign...recycled from an old "martini" sign I had laying around. I bought the white wooden letters from Michael's at $2.99 each, but used a 25% off entire purchase coupon, score!

I made a few of the famed items...obviously the burlap "Calista's Corner" sign that I'd previously made.

yucky colored desk...one day I will paint it!

I bought some embroidery thread and simply wrapped it around cardstock paper shaped like bobbins, then glued them onto the paper behind it (no glass in front so they pop out with a 3-dimensional look). Love all those bright colors.

Then I printed out a vintagy French lace bobbin picture and typed in "être inspiré " in the lower left corner, which means "Be Inspired". I also found a cute vintage dress form pic online & just printed it out. Then I saw this inspiring quote by Julia Child on Pinterest & thought it'd be perfect for my corner.

I also found this on Pinterest and re-created it in Picnik to my liking.

I had the ribbon holder before, previously installed on a wall in my dining room...

But then I found a discounted $5 paper towel roll at Ross & voila! Instant ribbon holder for those with smaller holes that won't fit on the actual 2-tiered ribbon holder on the wall (& I still have a whole other box of ribbon spools too...oye). Also at Ross I found the wire dress form (lower right corner of pic) for $7 that I just could NOT walk away from...it was screaming my name - I knew she'd be right at home on my craft corner desk. I think she'll come in handy for taking pics of future new flower clips, necklaces (like below), or even bibs!

Next to that is a flower vase, made from an old syrup bottle (the Grade B stuff from Trader Joes - which I commonly use while doing the Master Cleanse). I just cleaned it out really well, scrubbed off the outside labels, spray on a couple coast of white paint, then when it was dry I wrapped some grey-ish yarn around it (glue gun not even needed!)...then stuck some fake pink hydrangeas (from K's 2nd bday party) inside. Perfect floral touch to my desk...me happy!

The hanging shelf in the top left corner of pic is actually a $12 shower head rack, haha...perfect! The little jars on the 4 boxed-shelf are $1 from Michael's (also bought along with the wooden letters with coupon) - perfect for all my buttons!

The flowers on top of that shelf are paper flowers with buttons in the middle that I made...and I love them dearly - they were so simple to make and I love all the bright, contrasting colors all together in a little vase with glass 'pebbles' on the bottom.

I found the magnetic knife strip online for $15, because I knew I needed to keep all my scissors up high, out of reach of Kapri's curious little hands...so they're up high in the corner, even somewhat difficult for shorty me to even reach! Another fav online find is the thread spool rack, with a little wire shaped sewing machine on the stop. I thought I had less thread than this....sooo, I may need to find another way to hang more in the future.

And last but definitely not least...my fav items would be these 3 dress form mannequin pin cushions!!! I am so in love with these...not only were they relatively easy & quick to make...but they are adorable AND practical! Because they're filled with poly-foam stuffing, they make the perfect holder for pins! It's just genius. I stumbled upon this "DIY Dish" how-to video late one night, when I should've been sleeping...but I just couldn't get over these & knew I had to make them. My only annoyance is that the glass candlestick did NOT adhere to the fabric bottom of the dress form...it literally came off the next day. So I had to reattach them with E6000 glue. Problem solved ;-)

 

I'm a BIG KID now!

So, yesterday Kapri completed her very first (looong) day at preschool! OMG, I was kiiinda stressing on the drive there. I had butterflies...WTF?? It wasn't MY first day of school! haha

I woke up, got myself ready...then woke her up around 6:30, so we could leave by 7:30ish, be there by 7:45 and leave by 8am. She's never had to be woken up before like this...normally she is our alarm, which is around 7:30/8am...but as soon as I flicked on the light, she woke in a flash..."GooMorring mamma...PRESCHOOL!" - that was her exact, first sentence outta her mouth. We got her changed, fed, took a few pics (tried to anyway...she was a ball of excitement!)...and even squeezed in a little snuggle time on the couch along with a quick book or 2. We grabbed her, her backpack & lunch bag...and headed out. (of course I had to embroider those, to go along with her previously embroidered lamby for nap time!)

wish I had found an Ariel one...she's sooo into Little Mermaid!

As soon as we took her in, she went running around from toy to toy...like a kid in a candy shop, or toyshop (literally) LOL! After going over a few things with the owner, we went to say goodbye...K was oblivious, so naturally I got emotional...didn't think I was going to really...but then it just hit me after a little hug & kiss from her. All day I resisted the urge to call & check in..."would she even NAP...on that sleep-mat (no crib!), with other kids around", "would she use the potty like she does at home", "would she tell them when she's hungry/thirsty...would she STARVE!?" "would kids be mean to her...would SHE be mean to them??" ...oh man, I was a freaking stress basket, tearing up again on the drive to work...but luckily meetings & busy work kept me focused on other things.

After work I anxiously drove to pick her up...I had prepped by scouring the internet for guidance...like this article...that helped assure me that IF she had a mini-meltdown upon my arrival, it was totally normal...and it did in fact totally happen. More so in the sense that she just did. not. want. to. leave! And was most likely exhausted from all the fun she'd had....and *hopefully* missed James & I, haha. She absolutely loved it!! I was able to walk in & head back to the yard area, where I went unnoticed as she excitedly ran & played with another kid - it was a very reassuring moment...that this was a great fit for us all!

Ms. Anne said she did amazingly well...and that one would think she'd been here for years, rather than just her first day. So that meant she was very comfortable right off the bat. She painted a ton of pictures, had fun with playdoh, stacked blocks, ate well, SLEPT well (miracle), loved playing outside...splashing water with others, and actually used the potty all day long...she's such a big girl now!! She cried only once upon waking from her nap, but that was due to being unfamiliar with where she was at first. After a quick, soothing back rub, she fell back asleep for a bit. All in all, it was a fabulous day...happy child...happy parents ;-)

Some of the artwork she made - just realized this wall tucked around the corner from our living room was perfect for hanging up a few of her masterpieces!

It's FABuloussss!

So I've finally been able to tackle the embroidery part of my machine...after some trail & error, I think I got the hang of it...now I just need to figure out how to download a TON of saved designs I found online, to my machine. It should be as easy as plugging the USB into it & connecting to my computer...but we'll see! Oh, also need a bigger hoop one day for larger projects...but anyway...I'm loving this new side of creating and can't wait to do more Custom from Calista orders with it! Here's what I've done so far:

"Kapri's" lamb...this will come in handy when/if she goes to daycare/preschool one day

 

Helloooo world of embroidery

I've never embroidered before - ever. So when I received a family gift for Christmas specifically FOR an embroidery machine...I was both ecstatic and worried at the same time. I can sew....I consider myself to be intermediate...but the world of embroidery is so new to me! I knew it'd take some time to get the hang of it.

So I ventured out, spent time researching machines, read reviews, & finally decided on the Brother SE-400 - which of course was sold OUT everrrrywhere. It was crazy - I thought to myself "wow...a lot of people must've got the same Christmas gift that I did", haha! I later realized that there was a good year-end rebate on it in late December, go fig. So I finally found one & ordered it last week...and yesterday it was finally delivered to my front door. YAY!

here she is...she's gorgeous & I love the big LCD touch screen! The embroidery extension is that big piece to the left - when it's connected this thing looks intense!

Upon unpacking it - I have to admit I was a little intimidated...I questioned my crafting abilities. So I just told myself to do one step at a time...I tried out the sewing aspect of it last night, and tonight I plan to tackle the embroidery part - I HAVE to, because I have an adorable 3-pack of custom burp cloths that I promised to try out my new machine on by Friday! ahh

Also, as one of my New Year's resolutions...I plan on dedicating more time (& more likely more $$) trying to promote my business & grow...grow...grow! So I decided to start a 'portfolio'...or maybe it's more like a 'brag book', either way, it'll be nice to carry around with me. That way I can have it on hand & be prepared if (& when) I approach a boutique owner or set up a booth at a local street fair. I still have to select the pics I want to use & get them printed out & organized inside the binder, but so far so good:

How cute is this scrapbook paper I found...with little scissors & thread spools all over it!?

<3 my purty logo!