Great Deal!

I was browsing at Target for some shirts for an order, and I came across a major clearance rack and found these great little shirts. Because they were on such a major clearance, I went ahead and bought several! So, when I find an awesome deal like that, I'll pass that deal on to you!

Shirts (with monogram, of course) are $10 + $3 shipping if you're not in the Alexandria/Pineville area. Great gift or just a cute shirt for your little girl!

Brown/pink sizes: 12m, 3T





Pink/pink sizes: 12m, 18m





Green sizes: 12m, 24m, 3T, 5T

Email me at stitchedbyamanda@hotmail.com if you would like to buy one. Thanks!

Custom Pillow

A wonderful lady asked me to create a pillow out of a cross-stitch she made in 1989! Her daughter (who is equally wonderful - I taught her two years ago) is going to Louisiana Tech in the fall and she wanted her to have this keepsake from her mom.

So, I was pretty nervous. I mean, most projects can be redone if I screw something up. Not this one!!

I was so thankful that she bought the fabric because I was so worried that I would pick out something she wouldn't like. Her daughter loves Vera Bradley stuff, and her bedding is black and white, so the pillow will be a great accent.

On the front is the cross-stitch, and on the back I used the two fabrics to create an envelope-style pillow with a chunky black button. So, the pillow is cute either way she puts it on her bed.

Thanks for the order, Kim! I had a great time!

Purses just ain't my thang

I have to admit.

I don't get the whole "Oh my gosh I got this new Coach purse and it cost $300 and oh my gosh oh my gosh." Don't get me wrong. I can spend $300 in a hot second on any number of frivolous things. Purses just aren't one of them.

Sorry. I know I'm way out of fashion when it comes to my purses. My students (and coworkers) have let me know that my purse situation is completely unacceptable.

For example: Christmas 2009 I grudgingly spent $10 on a new purse at Target. And I carried that nasty thing until today. Oops. A few weeks ago I added some leftover fabric flowers that didn't sell at school as a hail mary. Didn't work. The blood stain left on the purse from a beef liver that we used in lab (yes, I did wash it several times - it was clean, just stained) sort of took away from the funky fabric flowers. Again....oops.

So, I found an even better deal at good ol' Hobby Lobby. They have this great new aisle that has all sorts of ready-to-embroider items, such as this purse. I bit the bullet (all $7.99 of it) and bought the purse and put my monogram on it tonight.

I think I look a little more sophisticated...what do you think?

Cute bags and towels!

A friend of mine asked me to do some cute bags and monogram some towels for two recent high school graduates. I love how they turned out! These bags would also be great dance bags or overnight bags. Email me at stitchedbyamanda@hotmail.com for prices/specifics. Thanks!

Birthday Shirts

Birthday shirts are so fun! I know Jack feels so "grown up" when he sees his new age on his shirt. Ha! I had an order for a girly four-year-old shirt. I love the way it turned out!!



Who knows....maybe I'll make myself one with a big 28 for my next birthday. Or maybe not.

Adventures with Applique'

Applique' is challenging, but oh so fun and cute! There are hundreds of designs on the internet (especially Etsy- and who doesn't love supporting other stay-at-home-making-the-ends-meet mommas out there?). For some crazy reason, I decided that my very first applique would include three different fabrics and four different color threads. But hey, if I can handle this one, I can tackle any applique' out there, right? We'll see.

Oh! And this was my very first order!

I'm ready for business!!

Contact: stitchedbyamanda@hotmail.com

Hits and Misses

Project for the day: Put Jack's name on a beach towel for our upcoming vacation.

Wait...what happened to the "J"???



Oh, dear. That's even worse.


Better....



Font too small!!


Nailed it.


He'll have no problem knowing which towel is his at Seaside!!





And a total hit.

Here we go!

My embroidery machine (or "monogramming machine" as many people call it) came in the mail on Wednesday! Because everything shipped separately, I only got the machine and the bobbin thread the first day.



So, Wednesday night I stared at it.

And learned to wind the bobbin.

And that was all :)

Thursday evening some of the thread and the stabilizer came in, so I found some scrap fabric, learned to hoop it, and put Sydney's name on the fabric. (And yes, I am fully aware that the thread does not match the polka-dots. I only have six colors of thread right now. Lay off. The rest is coming Saturday :)


And that all took me until 11:00 p.m.

I don't have the software for the machine yet. That should come in tonight. The poor UPS man is driving his truck up our hill for four days in a row. He looked thrilled about it. The software will allow me to resize the fonts and do all kinds of amazingly technical things. Like centering stuff.

Oooo, and applique'.

And, my business cards came in today. You know, because I'm professional and stuff.

Beginning!

Welcome to Stitched! I am starting an at-home embroidery business.....as soon as I figure this darn machine out. Ha! All kidding aside, here's a little about me:

1. I am a Christ-follower. I strive daily to be more like Him and to share His truth. I fail more often than I succeed, but I'm so thankful for the grace He extends.

2. I am a wife and mother! We have two beautiful children, Jack and Sydney. My husband, Clint, is a forester.

3. I am a foster parent. We have an exciting, challenging calling that has blessed us beyond description.

4. I used to be a teacher :) Loved that career, but all these kids running around just demanded more than I could give working full-time.


Explore this little blog of mine. There are some tabs at the top of page that will show pictures of some various projects....some are still in the works.

Follow along as I learn about embroidery. I'll for sure let you know when I'm ready for orders :) Just click "Follow" on the right of the page.