Halloween in August?

 That's right. Halloween has been on my mind for a couple of weeks now as I am already getting Halloween orders! I have so many adorable ideas running through my head...if only I had the time to create them all!

One of my new designs for this Halloween is a little witch tutu set complete with an adorable custom boutique mini witch hat...

Look how cute this turned out!

I couldn't leave the back out of the picture. How fun right???

The best part about this hat is it's size...

Your little darling will be simply bewitching to everyone she meets in this outfit!

The hat can be attached to a hard headband for older girls and mommy's, or a soft nylon headband for babies. Or it can also be attached to 2 alligator clips.

The Halloween order deadline will be sometime in October so there is still plenty of time to place them.

Don't forget about our awesome trick or treat bags!! Get the most candy while carrying it in style in a bag that will last for years to come!

I have SO much adorable and fun Halloween fabric...you can e-mail me at MotherGooseCollections@live.com and I can send you pictures of the fabric to custom create your child's trick or treat bag. Have an awesome weekend everyone!!

Happy 4th of July!

 Hope you all enjoy this holiday with your family and friends! 

I thought I would leave you with some of my most patriotic pieces :-)

And the winner is....

Heather Graham!!

Congratulations and thank you for entering my giveaway! 

It's give away time!!

 As you all know from reading this post, I have entered in a contest held by Post Net and asked all of you for help. As a HUGE thank you for everyone who has gone and voted for me, for everyone who has been a loyal customer, and for everyone who has just been there to encourage me and comment on my blog posts or my pictures on facebook, I wanted to hold a little giveaway!

The winner of this give away will win one custom name t-shirt or onesie like the one pictured here...of course it will be made with your name of choice (boy or girl) and also your choice of color combination. 

(hair bow and socks are not included in this give away)

To enter this give away all you need to do is comment on this blog post! It's as easy as that. I just am so grateful for everyone who has taken the time to vote for me in this contest  I thought this was the least I could do.

 

Voting for the Post Net contest that I am entered in ends on June 8th, so I thought that would be a good date for this giveaway to end as well. Spread the word friends, this give away is for anyone to win!!

Help Mother Goose

 Hello everyone! Summer is finally here! I have been working on 4th of July orders and they are all turning out so cute! Also this little twirl skirt

which can be done in any fabric combination and is perfect for the little girly girl in your life who loves to spin around to see her skirt twirl.

Now, I have a great big, giant, HUGE favor to ask everyone. I have entered into a contest to win a grant to grow my little business. As of now, my embroidery machine can only do 4x4 inches...which is fine for baby and toddler shirts, but that means I can't really make things big enough to look right on older toddler and kids t-shirts. My machine is meant for at home ocassional use, and it gets used every single day...which is why it has to be put in the shop quite often to be re-tuned. 

My dream machine that would enable me to make everything that all of you can dream up is 10 thousand dollars...and that just so happens to be the amount that I could win from this grant. So I am asking all of you to please go here and like the PostNet facebook page, then go to the contest and vote for Mother Goose Collections. Voting ends on June 8th and the top 5 winners will be judged by a panel to decide the winner. I would be very grateful if you would go and vote for me and please spread the word so that I can get a shot at growing my wonderful little business that I have been so blessed run. 

I am very thankful for every single one of my customers, you guys have made this all worth while!

Spotlight on Miss Shayne Madison!

 Tell us a little bit about yourself:

My name is Kara and I am married to a firefighter/paramedic. I love to shop. I used to dance and really miss it. I love having fun with my children and my friends and take every opportunity, even if it means skipping some chores or work. ;)

Tell us about your kids: 

I have a son, Caden, who's 8. He loves penguins and his favorite color is green. His favorite activity is swimming. He has the biggest imagination and loves to tell anyone about his wild thoughts.

My daughter, Shayne, is 20 months old (8/17). Shayne is a diva, in every aspect and meaning. She is also a very sweet, silly, and very adventurous toddler. She is known to hold her own in any situation and make things work for her. Shayne is also a beauty pageant queen. She loves being on the stage and getting lots of attention. 

Your son has a genetic condition...tell us a little about that:

Caden has Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1 for short). He was born with a diseased bone in his leg as a result and has had multiple surgeries and procedures to correct the deformity and disease. So far, he's one of the luckier ones and his leg is healing and won't require amputation. He has a MRI every year because his body does not have the ability to stop tumors from forming. Caden also fights everyday to have any resemblance of a normal childhood due to brain disfunctions that have caused behavior and very minor learning problems. He is absolutely amazing and you'd never know by looking at him that he wasn't a completely normal, healthy child.

Have you always liked boutique style bows and clothing on little ones:

I remember shopping in boutiques with my mom when I was very young and was known for my gigantic hairbows that I always wore. When I found out I was having a girl I was so excited to get to have the same fun with my own daughter. I am completely hooked. "My name is Kara, I am an addict. I can't live without big bows and boutique clothes" 

How did you hear about Mother Goose Collections:

I heard about MGC from this fabulous girl named Seana whom I love dearly. Hehehe

[Seana is one of my twins just f.y.i and also great friends with Kara]

What is your favorite item that you have received from Mother Goose Collections:

I have two favorites that we have from Mother Goose Collections. One is the Little Sister ribbon onesie with Shayne's name on it with matching socks and bow. Shayne wore it home from the hospital and it was just so cute and sweet. My other favorite is all the firefighter themed bows and outfits Paula has custom made for us. She has taken a typically boy centered theme and made beautiful fun things for my girl to show her pride in her daddy's job.

Any closing thoughts:

Mother Goose Collections is one of the few boutiques that has received a lot of my return business. Paula is so easy to work with, everything turns out beautifully, and her prices are more than fair. Every piece feels like it's been created with love. When you buy as many boutique clothes and bows as I do you learn to recognize and spot the quality differences, this is one of the best places to come for that quality. We love Ms Paula both personally and in her work.

Thank you Kara for taking the time to be our featured fan! I hope you all enjoyed reading Kara's answers as much as I did! To learn more about the condition her son Caden has (Neurofibromatosis Type 1) check out www.CTF.org

I've come a long way

As I was watching some home movies the other day from Christmas of 1991, I noticed that several of the gifts that were from me were handmade. Shirts, Sweatshirts...I need to scan a picture to show you the things that were popular back then in the "boutique" scene...I'm sure we would all get a good laugh! 

But that got me thinking...wow I've been doing this for a really long time. Back then I was doing craft shows. They were a lot of fun but I am so thankful for the age of technology that we now live in! No more loading up the tables, tent, racks, decorations and all of your items you have to sell....driving to the venue then unloading all of this stuff, setting it up, then taking it all down at the end of the show only to drive back home and unload it all again. 

 Now I can design and sell all of my creations from the comfort of my own in home studio, and I only have to leave home to go to the post office!

I was talking to my daughter on the phone today and she was laughing about a picture she found of my first attempt at a boutique bow. Now back in the 80's & 90's I made bows for my girls and for my craft shows, but this new boutique style bow...I had never seen or heard of until my daughter Seana called me one day and said, "Mom I want you to make Preslie some bows like this!"  So I looked at a few pictures of this boutique bow and sat down and tried to make one.

  I was rather proud of that bow...she laughed at it. As I look back at this picture, I laugh at it too! WOW is all I can say. It literally took me about a year to perfect this style bow. I have had several people email me asking me "what is your secret to making this bow look so good?"  My answer...and this is the honest truth..."I have a daughter that critiques every bow I made until I got it right...and she still does!"  Sometimes I would get really frustrated and think..."I think it looks good enough!" But I'm glad that she pushed me to perfection. Because I have gone from this, my very first boutique bow to this...

Both are pictures of my grand daughter Preslie, both bows made by me. See how far I've come? Just goes to show you that with a little determination and family by your side, you can do anything you want to do. Whether your dream is creating beautiful things for the little ones in your life or something a bit more extravagant. Keep at it and you'll come a long way as well!