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It's Day 1 of the Hope Floats Breezy Blog Tour

I am so excited for Day 1 of my bebelambs blog tour!!! First up we have Laura from Manning the Machine.

I love what Laura has done with the Hope Floats!  Laura is part of my Core tester group and I LOVE working with her.  From the very beginning she has been on top of it and fearless. She helps come up with ideas and gets her projects done immediately. I don't know HOW she does it being pregnant and with wee ones running around.

Let's all head over to Manning the Machine and check out Laura's Creation!

Hope Floats Breezy Blog Tour

I am so excited for my first bebelambs blog tour! The Hope Floats has been my most popular pattern to date. It's such a fun pattern for summer and bonus...it's a pretty easy sew! The challenge was to make something with the theme of light, beachy, breezy! I can't wait to see what this exciting group of designers is going to come up with!

Hope Floats Breezy Blog Tour Dates

• May 11: Laura Manning from Manning and the Machine
• May  12: 
• May 13: Melissa Uribe from Sew Like My Mom
• May 14: Bethany Holtet from Two Novembers
• May 15:Annemieke Jacobs from Sofilantjes
• May 16:Jessica Dewit from Gracious Threads
• May 17th: Ula Celeste from Lulu and Celeste
• May 18th: Terry Steinmetz from My Love is Homemade
• May 19th: Faith Alexander 
• May 20th: My version!!!

Enter to win the Hope Floats Pattern if you don't already have it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Momtography 101

I am so excited to have a guest today!! Shy from She's SewShy is going to give is a quick lesson in Momtography 101!!  

I asked Shy to do this because she is one of my go to testers and always turns in amazing shots!  Every tester shot doesn't need to be a cover shot but if you are always getting passed up for Tester Calls or your items aren't selling on Etsy, your pictures could be an issue.  I use my tester photos for marketing. When I do a tester call and I receive pictures with trash, cut-up fabric or all of this week's laundry in the floor, it doesn't matter how good the actual construction of the garment is, all I see is the stuff around it.  

You don't have to be a professional photographer or have a DSLR camera to get great shots; 80% of my shots come straight from my iphone.  Often, because when I get where I am going my camera has dead batteries or no SD card.  So, although I am saving for a  DSLR (so it can have dead batteries and no sd card) it's totally not necessary!  Most of my testers use their phones or point and shoot cameras! Also, that dirty laundry pile? I have 7 kids, I totally get it!!!  You don't have to have Molly Maids come in; just take the kiddos outside or find a neutral clean corner.   So, that was my designer/tester service announcement...I'm going to turn it over to Shy!!! 

Hi Everyone! I'm Shy, from She's SewShy. I live on the beautiful island of Okinawa, Japan with my husband and two crazy kiddos.   

Today I am going to talk to you about how to take a great, eye catching photo. Let me start by saying that I am not a professional photographer and you don't have to be either! You just need to know what you like and how to get it. So let's get started!   

First things first, let's talk lighting! Natural light is the best light! So take your little one outside if weather permits. Find a nice shady spot with indirect sunlight. Bright sun can wash out bright colors and make your model squint. For photographing a garment, I find that it's best to shoot with the sun at your back, to light the garment.   

Next, you'll want to put a little thought into your background. You'll want to choose a background that will compliment your garment, but not distract from it! It may not seem important, but choosing the right spot to pose makes a huge  difference. So messy workspaces, laundry and leftover lunches are out! A wooden fence, a pretty bush or garden or even a fun wall are all good examples. We live on an island so I often take photos at the beach! If you don't have a model or can't get outside, a Command  hook on a white wall works wonders. Especially when you have concrete walls like I do!   

Moving on, I want to talk about angles. Most of the time, our models are less that 4ft tall. That means that in order to get a good angle, you are going to have to take a knee or a butt, whatever works for you! You want your lens to be at your models eye level. Experiment with different body shapes. Every garment and fabric moves differently, so try to find a pose that will really showcase the fit and flow of your work. Pointed toes are always nice! Can't get your little ones to look at the camera? I am not above bribery. I keep a pocket full of M & M's or skittles for both my daughter and my behind the scenes assistant, my 4 year old son! He is my official camera bag holder. Having a job to do means less tantrums!   

Once you are happy with your location and lighting, your models and assistants are all properly bribed and your hamstrings are feeling the burn, take as many photos as possible. Seriously take a hundred pictures. Two hundred pictures even! Seriously! I take hundreds of photos. Have your model move in small increments in a wide array of poses. You never know how certain poses are going to translate in a photo. So just keep snapping! Don't be afraid to take the camera off auto. Learn your camera. It is your new best friend.   

You may or may not choose to edit your photos. But I think this is an important step. Subtle tweaks can make a world of difference. I use Lightroom to gently enhance my photos. Again, I am not a professional photographer and I am not trained. Lightroom is a wonderful program that allows you to adjust particular levels individually to really make your photo pop! I highly reccomend downloading a trial. There are tons of preset filters and it's really beginner friendly! Try it, you won't regret it!   

My last bit of advice is small but very important to our photoshoot routine! ICE CREAM! I buy both kiddos an ice cream cone to show them that I appreciate all of their hard work.   Better photos will make you memorable and more likely to be selected as a pattern tester, and we all love testing new patterns! I hope that these tips help you take better boutique quality photos!   

Good luck! Shy    

Patterns are Here! Get your Kinley's Ruffle Pants!!!

I am so excited to announce bebelambs will now now have patterns! YAY ME!  I have really been working on several designs and have had a great group of testers along the way.  My very first pattern, Kinley's Ruffle pants has sooo many options and for a great price. Pants, long shorts, Capri's, single, double, triple ruffle, coordinating color block options!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184546663/kinleys-ruffle-pants-pattern-shorts?

Kenzie's Party Dress Blog Tour

BLOG TOUR DATES:

2/14 The 3 Little Kiwi's

2/15 Calm & Carrion

2/16 Confessions of a Barefoot Housewife

2/17 PiePie Designs

2/18 bebelambs

2/19 Crafty Biggers

2/20 The Berry Bunch

2/21 Sunflower Circle

Kenzie's Party Dress

I was so excited when Kymy asked for participants to be part of the Kenzie's Party Dress Pattern Tour. I Love Kymy's patterns and had been hoarding this one in my Craftsy cart. The sky is the limit with the options on this dress! 

It is available in two size groups NB-4t and 5-18.  

There is also an 18" doll dress add-on available

Or you can purchase it all in one bundle at an awesome discount.

It can be made as the "Signature style" with all the flounces

Or as a simple dress, which makes a perfect fancy party dress.

It has cap sleeves or the sleeveless option.

Kymy's challenge was to think spring, I made the dress for my youngest daughter in her signature color.  I have a large family so each child gets their own color and Kinley's is purple. I love this pattern and all the options it comes with. You can pick it up at Everything Your Mama Made & More!

 For my dress, I chose the simple dress with the cap sleeves.  

I loved how easy this pattern was to follow!  Kymy makes great easy-to-follow patterns with great pictures.  (The pictures are my favorite part, since I actually don't like to read the patterns.)  I chose a nice spring chevron for the bodice and this great Peacock fabric for the skirt.

As soon as Kinley saw the dress, she said "Oh Mom, so pretty dress; is that for me?" She loves girly dresses. 

Kinley is small for her age and could probably wear the 2 but I wanted to make a 3 so we could make it last a little longer.  I believe the dress ran really true to size. 

I love the scoop back detail in the back and the nice full bow.  

Another thing I love about this pattern are the French seams and the top stitching; it makes for such a nice quality dress.  From cutting the pattern to finish, this dress took me about 2 hours.  I see many of Kenzie's Party Dresses in Kinley's future. Thanks so much Kymy for letting me be a part of this tour and for making such a great and easy to follow pattern. 

Want to get your own copy of Kenzie’s Party Dress & Skirt?  Now until 2/24 use the code “kpdblogtour” on a Kenzie’s Party Dress order of $8.95 or more from www.eymm.com & get $1.95 off.  This makes individual patterns just $7 & the bundle with both size ranges AND the bonus doll add on just $12.47.  Limit 1 coupon per person.

Make sure you check out the next stop on the tour tomorrow  at Crafty Biggers

Welcome Shalom

I am so excited to introduce the newest member of my bebelambs family!!! Meet Shalom.

I name most of my machines both household and craft wise! Shalom is a beautiful Brother PR-660  6 needle embroidery machine. (Isn't she magnificent) Usually, I can look at the machine one time and I know the name. With Shalom it was different.  I actually thought I would name her Isabella because to me, she is beautiful. But, as I started working with her, she just wasn't an Isabella, I pictured Isabella as somewhat dainty. My mom kept suggesting Shalom but I wanted something with an a or e at the end. The more I worked with her the more I realized she was very sturdy and maybe she need a German name, like Liesel.  But, nothing was sticking. The more I thought about it the more My mom's suggestion kept coming back to me. Shalom.

Most people think of the word Shalom and just think of peace but it's more. Shalom: Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness, prosperity, and welfare.

Hebrew words convey feeling, emotion and intent. Shalom means not just peace but complete peace, contentment, harmony, wholeness and well being. 

I am hoping for lots of peace and harmony and also prosperity with Shalom!  She will make my projects quicker and more peaceful as when I have to turn my attention to a little she won't eat my one piece body suits. Yeah, not allowed to use the term "ones.." anymore, Thank you Gerber! 

My first 4 projects stitched out beautifully…..until I flipped them to do the backside. Then, 4 times..in a row, I stitched the back to the front. I told my dad the machine was flawless, the user was an idiot!  It just takes me a few times to catch on but I finally got it. 

So, welcome Shalom….oh the places we shall go! Well, we won't actually be going but our bebelambs creations will be!!! 

Giveaways Anyone?

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11608827/?claim=rusb7mgtpqr">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Getting ready to work with some great girls for some great giveaways!  Can't wait!

Snowflakes and Lace

As a self taught (and youtube taught) sewer, I haven’t had much experience with knits or lace. I have actually only made 3 things out of knit and one outfit with a pre-cut lace trim. So, when I saw the Snowflakes and Lace tour Sewing Mama RaeAnna is hosting , I thought I would try it out.

This was a really thin knit which was not the easiest to use for me but I LOVE this color.  I also grabbed this ivory stretch lace, which I have never used before. I love how it turned out.  

I used Sewing Mama RaeAnna’s Cupcake Pattern, I modified it by leaving off the front pocket and cutting the top of the pattern out of lace.  I really love how it turned out. Kinley had a great time playing outside in this outfit. I made her a size 3 shirt and I really should have done a 2 with this material but, she loves it sooooo we have some growing room! 

Weekend Cutting Table Project

I was inspired by a picture I saw when I typed in counter height sewing table. There were great pictures on google images. The one I saw had 4 cubes one front, two side and one back and just a paper mat on top.  I needed something larger. I used two 9 cube organizers on the front and two on the sides. Mine are not attached and don’t line up perfectly like some on line because we have a tiled basement and calling it unlevel would be a giant understatement. On the top is another piece of pressed wood.  The white storage box holds my Silhouette Cameo. I made the ironing board out of the left over wood I had cut. I will put that up as a tutorial sometime, maybe later this week....maybe!

Storing scraps has been a constant struggle for me. I have tried bins, baskets, right before this I had gallon plastic bags. I was thrilled to find these fold down front bins at Michael’s for 50% off!!!

I found this great little storage caddy on clearance at Michaels for $19.99. It hold my Silhouette Cameo but will also hold the Cricuts!

Supply List              Project Total $295.91

Lowes

Pressed Board 4x5/8x8

I had this cut to 4’ by 80” 

$19.99

I saved my scraps and made an ironing board!

Michaels

9 plastic flip down front plastic bins on sale for $5.99 (plus by extra 20% off)

Storage for Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Machines

Close out $19.99

JoAnn’s 

Cutting Mat 57x32 $42.00 after my 40% off coupon regular price $69.99

Target

4 9 cube storage shelves $159.96  these were the circo brand on sale for $39.99 each. 

does not include tax. 

We are moving!

I am so excited, we are moving our website. Please be patient as we transition everything from the old site!

My Sewing "Studio"

Ok, so really it’s a corner of my basement but Sewing “Studio” sounds way cooler!!!  I have already shown how to do the projects so I just thought I would show it all together now. I still have a few things to put away and hang up and I am hoping for a new addition to the sewing counter next month!!  And in my dreams I will be adding a 6 needle ;)