Blog Signature

I don't know about you but I love reading blogs and have a list of posts that I read everyday. It's interesting to learn new things and read about what people think. Last night after reading this tutorial on How to Make a Blog Signature from  Sew May Ways , I decided to give it a try. Since I had never used PicMonkey before, I gave it a try and loved it! After selecting my font and typing my name, I inserted a pink daisy clip art to add a little punch to the signature. This was fun and easy!

Shower Gifts

Several weeks ago one of our fabulous customers ordered a set of burps, bibs, and hooded towels by 3 Marthas and Swaddle Designs. I have no idea if this was for a baby shower gift or not but I thought about what a great gift they would make and wanted to share the picture with you. Each item was personalized with a name. We sent this cute set in a clear bag tied with raffia. Included in the set were:

• Pink Jolly Giraffe Bibs by 3 Marthas
• Pink Jolly Gifaffe Burp by 3 Marthas
• Pink Little Lamb Burp and Everykid Towel by 3 Marthas
• Giraffe Burp by 3 Marthas
• Pink Puppy Burp and Everykid Towel by 3 Marthas
• Pastel Pink Dot Burpie Set by Swaddle Designs

Wow, what a great selection of products! I'm always amazed at what our customers put together for the perfect gift.

While my daughter was here last week for spring break, there was one thing we HAD to get done; make her son a liner for his Easter basket. This was his first Easter and Katy asked me if I had saved her Easter basket from when she was little (o.k., she only stopped using it for Easter treats two years ago!). Of course, I still had it.  She had seen a picture of a basket liner she liked on Pinterest.  Mama to the rescue!  She picked out fabric from my stash and we started our brains thinking about how to make a liner for a round basket with handles.  She found one video tutorial but it had too much math for me so I took out my trusty tape measure and started recording measurements.  Katy did the sewing and I applied the applique'. The pictures below show the finished product and Max with his Easter basket on Easter Sunday.

Wow, the Easter Bunny sure was good to him!

Handsome Little Boy!

The finished product.

I think we did a fabulous job.  What do you think? I am very proud of my daughter's sewing skills.

2012 Color Trends

This year's color trends are tangerine tango and gray and chevrons, lots of chevrons..  These are fun colors that can be found across the board from  home decor, to fashion, and even in baby decor and baby wear. We kept this in mind when we are ordering at market in January.  I think we found some fun examples of this year's trends.  Tell us what you think!

Blue ZigZag Burp can be found on the Burp page.

Sterling and Pink Dots Stroller Blanket can be found on the Blankets page.

Crab Burp Cloth can be found on the Burp page.

Grabby Crabby Backpack can be found on the Backpacks page.

Puurdy Penny Snuggle Duffle Bag can be found on the Backpacks page.

Silver Burpie Set can be found on the Burps page.

Look for these fashion trend colors all around you and have fun with them!

Really Cute Gift Basket Using Blue Monkey Everykid Towel

Happy Weekend Everyone!

It is pouring down rain here in south Georgia today!  I hope you are having better weather than we are.  This week a customer sent a picture of an adorable gift basket she made to use as a center piece at a baby shower.  I think she had such a good idea and did an excellent job! The picture is below:

She used a personalized Blue Monkey Everykid Towel by 3 Marthas in the center of the basket.  I love the name letters she tied to the front of the basket.  So Cute!

Monogrammed Bloomers

Let's talk about bloomers (diaper covers) for little girls.  Nothing is more precious than seeing a photograph of a little girl in a pair of monogrammed bloomers!  Little girls should have bloomers or diaper covers to go with every outfits.  You can pair them with a dress, onesie, tutu outfit, or just worn alone in the summer time.  Below are a few pics of some of the ones I have done recently.

Dotty Alphabet Panty

Monogram Diaper Cover with Fancy Monogram Font

Personalized Double Ruffle Diaper Cover with Curlz Font

Ladybug Diaper Cover

We have several new styles that will be up on the website soon but I'll give you a sneak peak at them now.

Ruffle Knit Bloomer

Light Pink Personalized Double Ruffle Diaper Cover

Our bloomers/diaper covers can be found on the Accessories page of the website. The Polka Dot Store Accessories Page

New Products from 3 Marthas

Emily and I have been busy taking and editing photos to upload to the website.  Here are some pics of the cute new products we have:

We fell in love with the new owl character towels when we saw them at market.  3 Marthas does a great job of keeping their line of products fresh and exciting!  I am getting them up on the website as soon as possible.  So much to do and so little time.........Find these products and more at our website.

Gift Market 2012

Good Morning All!  A ton of people ask me where we go to buy our products and when I answer "Market in Atlanta", they want to know what "market" is all about.  Since the girls and I attended a market several weeks ago, I thought it might be fun to take you through a day at market.  We go to market about twice a year but there are lots of other markets during the year and also markets in other cities. Market in Atlanta, Georgia means lots of walking!  There are three high rise buildings, yes, I said high rise!  They are named Building 1 (Merchandise), Building 2 (Gift), and Building 3 (Apparel).  Here is a picture of Building 2:

Building 2 Gift

This is a wholesale market so when we get there, we have to check in and get our name badges. If we're smart, we have a plan mapped out for what we need to accomplish the first day, (we are usually there for 3 days). After having coffee, a muffin, and going over our plan, 

off we go to visit the showrooms. We usually start in Building 3 at the top and work our way down the floors.

I love seeing all the new products and how they are displayed!  The wheels in my mind start turning and I get so excited! Look at this gorgeous view from inside one of the buildings!

Whoo Hoo, there are things to explore! There are bridges that link the buildings together so you can cross from one building to the other.

  As you can see my bag on wheels follows me everywhere to carry all our needed items for the day .  It has a squeaky wheel that keeps us entertained and gives us something to laugh about! Hum, maybe we should name the bag, what do you  think?

Market is not all work, they have interesting seminars and demonstrations we can go to.  Here we are getting to see Bobby and Jamie Deen do a cooking demonstration.  They are a lot of fun.

  We were in the back you will just have to take our word for who is in the picture. :)

 After eating and talking about what we saw that day we go back to our hotel room and plan the next day.  Sleep is the next thing on the agenda!  Trust me when I say we have walked miles that day and our bodies and minds are worn out. 

I love going to market to find fun new products and reorder favorites to place in the store for you, the customer, to order.  But, the best part is spending a fun weekend laughing and having a good time with my daughters and friends. What a great way to combine work and fun!

Christmas is over and I've been thinking about which direction to take The Polka Dot Store in 2012. I want to continue to carry the highest quality baby gifts and accessories. If you have suggestions for great products you would like to see at The Polka Dot Store, please sent us your comments.  I would also like to receive comments about great products you think we already have available. I look forward to hearing from you!

Little Giraffe Blanket

This little guy loves his White Chenille Blanket by Little Giraffe!  It is the perfect size for his daily stroll.

Product Reviews

We have a new baby in The Polka Dot Store family.  Little Max is 2 1/2 weeks old and is getting lots of use out of his gifts purchased at The Polka Dot Store.  When we go on a buying trip to market, we try to find the highest quality products to sell in our store.  Three of our products we have used over and over the past two weeks are listed below with a brief review of the product.

Giraffe Everykid Towel by 3 Marthas:  This towel has been fabulous at bathtime.  It is large enough to keep Max warm so he won't get chilled while getting his sponge bath.  After taking the towel out of the dryer today I was amazed at how soft the towel was.  It washes great and honestly gets softer with each wash!

BabyLegs Newborn Leg Warmers:  Max has three pair of newborn leg warmers.  My daughter likes one design so much, she asked for two pair.  They seem to go with most of Max's outfits.  Since the weather is still warm here in the south, I didn't think we would need leg warmers here until after Christmas!  Boy was I wrong.  Max's pediatrician prefers for him to sleep with the thermostat at 70 degrees.  The leg warmers have been a perfect choice to keep his little legs from getting cold.  He wears them with his gowns, onesies, and sleep sacs.

Little Giraffe Luxe Burpy:  Max has this burpy in blue and it is awesome.  I could carry this burpy around all the time!  It is so soft and comes out of the dryer so soft it is hard to fold and put away.  You want to use it all the time!  Max has several styles of burpies from Little Giraffe and they all come out of the washer and dryer looking like new each time.

As time goes on and we get more use out of Max's gifts, we will keep you posted with our reviews.

Recent Monograms

Hi All,

I thought I would take the time tonight to post some of the recent monograms we have done.

I love seeing the font choices my customers select.  The results are always so cute!

A new selection of plush animals has arrived from Melissa & Doug.  I grouped them all for a picture and added a new plush Squirrel from Bearington Baby.

The faces and details are really great.  I just love the white Tiger.  There is also a wonderful 4ft. Giraffe, not shown, which can be ordered.  He is adorable!

Personalized Little Giraffe Luxe Blanket

The Polka Dot Store is priviledged to offer blankets, blankys, and burps by Little Giraffe. Little Giraffe offers the very best luxury baby products.  Over the years Little Giraffe has made many changes to their product line but the quality has always stayed top notch.  I recently personalized the Luxe Aqua & White Duo Geometric Blanket.  It has become my new favorite!  The fabric is so soft it is hard to stop touching the blanket.  I'm including several pictures of the finished product. 

New BabyLegs Sun Protection Arm and Leg Warmers

If you're heading to the beach this 4th of July weekend or have a trip planned to the lake or beach this summer, think about using BabyLegs legwarmers from their Cools Kids collection.  These adorable leg warmers are made from a lightweight breathable mesh knit fabric and offer UPF 50+ protection.  Little ones can wear them on their arms and legs while playing in the and or the water. Not only does the breathable fabric keep your little one cool and protected but it comes in fun prints.  The price is $12.00 and here are the designs we carry:

Hibiscus

Swimming UP

Starfish

http://www.thepolkadotstore.com/accessories.shtml

Cloth Diaper Project

If you are following this blog, you probably know my two daughters help me with buying for The Polka Dot Store.  My oldest daughter is expecting in September and wants to use cloth diapers.  She decided it would be a good project for the two of us to make diapers +while she was at home last week.  Cloth diapers have come a long way since my children were babies!  The ones we made are cute but they are very time consuming to make.  Below is a picture of two diapers we completed.  I can't wait until Max gets here to try them out!

If you have used cloth diapers on your little one, I would love to hear your opinion on the pros and cons of using cloth diapers.

New Fonts

When you order something to be personalized from at The Polka Dot Store  http://www.thepolkadotstore.com , you can look at sample name fonts and sample monogram fonts to make your selection.  These are just a small selection of our more popular fonts.  If you have a font in mind that you don't see offered, email us at granysheirlooms@hotmail.com and ask if the font is available.  Below is a picture of some of the cute fonts we have added recently.

BumbleBee and Geronto are capital letters only. Aren't these fonts fun!

Recent Monograms

We have been busy here at The Polka Dot Store recently.  Below are a few of the cute monograms and personalizing we have done.  It's so much fun to see how customer's selections look after being stitched!

Bunny Lovie by Mud Pie Font 21, Pastel Pink Chick Burp by 3 Marthas stitched in Font 38 in medium pink thread.

Recent new arrivals include swaddling blankets by Luna Lullaby, Tres Jolie sleeper by Mud Pie, Tutu dress by Mud Pie, and duffle bags/backpacks by Oak Patch Gifts.  We will try to get them on the website as soon as possible.  They are adorable!

www.thepolkadotstore.com 





New Litle Giraffe Blanekts, Blankys, and Burps

New blankets, blankys, and burps from Little Giraffe have arrived and they are gorgeous!  I tried something new with the pictures.  I think it gives them a fresh new look instead of the standard white background picture.  After experimenting with my picture proccessing software, I've discovered a really cool way to make a collage of the blanket pictures.  It will be attached below and I would love to hear any comments concerning the collage or the new blankets.  The new Bella series is absolutely wonderful.  It is a little thicker with texture than the original chenille fabric.  For now, The Polka Dot Store only carries the Lavender Damask blanket and blanky from this series.  The feel of this blanket is so soft!  You will love it as much as I do.