It's those little things...

Do you ever stop for a moment and look back when you were single and think about what you thought 'romance' should be all about? I did yesterday - I really did. I liked what I thought romance should be all about. I liked that no man ever achieved my ideal romantic notions - it kept the hunt interesting. ;)

What's funny though, is after just a few years of marriage and a baby, the idea of romance vastly changes. For example, my little one and I have been sick with a cold lately. We've been cooped up in sick mode and over the weekend my husband suggested we go for a car ride to get some fresh air. Now indulge me because this part requires a bit of explanation. In order to start said car, you only need the little transmitter to be ON you and not IN the ignition. So many times, he leaves the house ahead of me, packs that baby in and starts the car. When I come out with the diaper bag, I then have to (everytimeeee) go to the car, get the house keys that are attached on the 'transmitter', take it back to the house, lock up, and get back in the car. Yes, I know, no big deal, but my brain says to myself every time "really hubbie? you know i need the keys, but you're just gonna sit there".

----Okay so back to romance. ---

So this weekend, my poor sickly body shuffles around to gather the diaper bag items and as I open the door and get ready to go to the car to grab the keys...HE IS ON THE STEPS READY TO LOCK UP! My draw dropped and I literally shed a tear - just one. That my friend, was romance.

Me: Awww, really? You never do that!
Hubbie: I know..but my sweetie is all sick
Me: sniff, you are the best
Hubbie: *smooch* let's go get a coffee!

Ya, my perception of romance has changed but I would never go back. This tiny little insignificant thing (that, let's be honest, if I heard myself 10 years ago I would think was lame) was the best moment of that Saturday.

heh. romance. go figure!

Treasury Time!

There really is a wealth of talent out there and I'm constantly amazed and how many times I come across beautiful products for children that I had never seen before - and all hand made. I have decided that many of my gifts this year will be handmade - mostly because I have found some really unique items that I think my family will love AND because I have found so pretty adorable things for the kids that I couldn't find anywhere else!

Through my adventures of opening up an online boutique, I have stumbled across a great many of talented artists that span across categories of children, jewelry, art, pottery, crochet, etc. I was lucky enough last night to grab a "treasury" so I thought this time around, I would throw out my tribute to the children's artists I have come across. If you have the chance, click the link below to check out my

New Treasury

Kid Fashion

Like most moms, it seems my overall purchases are for my little peanut rather than myself. As such, I have a growing obsession for cool, unique children's fashion. I happened upon this shop and fell in love. Please allow me to introduce you (if you haven't seen her already!) to Jessica Haley, owner and creator of Mia Joie. Her shoes are awesome - clever, creative and colorful! I have included my latest favorite, "The Gretel" boot. She has a great line of mary jane's, boots, and regular shoes for both boys and girls. I hope you take the time to explore her shop when you have the chance as she has some great items you just can't miss out on! Please visit Mia Joie today.

Please visit again soon as I will be updated weekly with my latest finds!

~Abbey Lane

Where's Waldo?

Can you spot my little bee? LOL I just couldn't resist posting the most adorable (yes, I'm biased) halloween photo EVAH! This is my busy little bumblebee preoccuying herself with the train table while 13 toddlers run amock around her at a halloween party. Aww mom's heart just melts when she spots her bumble bee!

Blue Belle, Blue Belle

I created a new pinafore called Blue Belle which is a pretty little reversible t-shirt dress. It has this adorable large blue flower pattern and the reverse is a cute polkadot pattern. Here is a pic of my blue belle.
Two outfits for the price of one - that's what I call 'fashion sense' ! ;) It's super adorable over jeans with a long sleeved white shirt underneath for the more chilly weather. I'm also in the midst of designing another one which I think will be pretty darn cute if I say so myself.

You can purchase Blue Belle at my Etsy shop using this LINK

Treasuries DO exist!

If you're on etsy, you know what this highly sought after item is...a treasury. I was not a believer. I didn't understand. But upon my search for new shops (and believe me you have to go out of your way to discover new shops) I wondered into the treasury section and at that precise moment...that millisecond in time...I saw it. The box. I did a double take and my 'fight or flight' response took hold. My right hand jutted out and slammed to the mouse, clicked on the box, and with the speed of a cheetah my fingers flew across the keyboard. I finalized that winning moment with a stroke to the "return" button and glory be, I had a treasury!!

Folks...show Abbey Lane the love and check out her 1st EVER...treasury!!!

CLICK ME, I"M A TREASURY

Projects On-The-Go

It's the end of the week and once again, it has flown by.  I find it a struggle to balance doing new projects, playing with the baby, and making sure everything is kosher on the clean home front. I mean, I could relax on the home stuff but I tested that out for a few days and 2 adults + 1 baby can get a house pretty dirty pretty fast.

Anyways, point being is that I did manage to get in time to try out some things.  I have found the most awesome fabrics and I have become fully obsessed. So, I have been trying some new things out and when I have achieved perfection, I will start making them for the public.  

I was also pondering the idea of a monthly giveaway. I could start with my own products and then expand to other etsy artists who have complimentary baby products. There are just so many talented people out there that make such wonderful handmade things, that I would love to expose this work to a larger mainstream audience. I know that if I had known about all the hand crafted items out there when my baby was first born, I would have gone nuts! Heck, if we had the right Etsy vendors, we could create a great gift pack for the baby shower or new mom. I'm still toying with the idea so if you have any feedback, let me know!

In the interim - here are a few pics of my most recent creations!

Down the Road with Abbey Lane

Abbey Lane has been an interesting venture for me. My baby girl was around 6 months old with only the tiniest wisps of hair. As every mom knows, you usually go through a period of time where people always politely ask - "is it a boy or a girl". Due to the sheer lack of hair, I was getting it quite often! Once she had enough hair, my sister kept pressing me to buy a hair clip. It seemed all that surrounded me were pink bows, lots of curly ribbon or just plain jane boring ones. Being a fabric obsessed person, I knew there was more out in terms of style and ideas and that they just hadn't been made. I came up with a few clips and they started getting noticed at the play groups I would go to. With the local support coming in, someone had suggested I bring them to a wider audience and that is how Abbey Lane began.

From there, my little girl and I have explored many different fabrics, styles and ideas together and she sits and plays with her toys while I play with my materials and fabric. Abbey Lane has extended it's brand from hair accessories to blankets, sleep sacks, pinafores, and baby shower gift ideas and with great feedback.

I now face an interesting challenge...one I have had to face and strategize against when I was working as an online marketing manager. How do you reach a certain targeted demo via online mediums. From a professional stand point, I have many tricks up my sleeve but that is for a company with big brands and big budgets. I would have to get far more tactical and grassroots. So what is the point of this blog? I won't bore you with my next big idea, the awesome fabrics I found, or what my little girl did today. This blog is my own journey into leveraging a vast medium with a targeted demographic and small budget. Ideas, insights, what works and what doesn't. It will also serve to keep you updated on what the Abbey Lane brand is doing and what is coming up.

Enjoy!