Blog Makeover

It's time that the blog matches the rest of my vision.
{SIG} is getting {big}.
And when you get {big}, you need to look good.

The blog & the Etsy store both need a makeover.
I was lucky enough to have been
referred to Tracey from Little Bitty Blogs
and I love her.



I liked her designs from the get go.
Very fun & whimsical but still a wide variety of other styles.
Loved the characters she had on several of her blogs.
Loved her color combos.
Loved her use of font.

Um, I just LOVED everything I set my eyes on.
I have a feeling I will keep her on retainer after all is said & done.

Tracey has been so easy to work with.
She takes all my suggestions in & changes them immediately.
Sometimes she gives me a virtual eye wink
to let me know that it may not work.
And I appreciate that.

She is the master of her craft.

AND...might I add, she apparently
did some research of her own b/c so far,
she has NAILED so much of who I am
& what {SIG} stands for.



For example, you guys know my love of everything red & aqua.
Hmm...I never told her.
She figured it out.
That's all I got.
Can't give you more deets.

It would ruin the surprise.
Until then...check out the referral contest
going on today on the Facebook page.

Chuckin' da duces!

XOXO,
Astrid

{SIG} Patterns...at last!

They are here.
I've been slaving like a mad woman
for the past 7 days.
Seriously.

Between the patriotic orders
and the pattern writing,
my brain not only hurts but it has shut down for the evening.

My eyes are crossed but the reviews are fantastic!

Introducing the Genevieve Pocket Skirt patterns...

Baby/Toddler Pattern from 12 months to 6.
Genevieve Pocket Skirt Toddler


Youth/Tween from size 6 to 16.
That is extended sizing.
Always bugs me when there isn't that full range of sizes.
Mark my words, every pattern I do will have the extended sizes,
so long as I can manage it.
Genevieve Pocket Skirt Tween


And for the mommies out there,
or even the ladies that don't have children,
the women's version!!!
Genevieve Pocket Skirt Adult


For the record,
within 10 minutes of listing the patterns,
2 were already purchased!

I'm so very, very excited about this venture in to pattern writing!
I hope you all will follow along.
And if you do purchase a pattern,
PLEASE SHARE PICS!!!

XOXO,
Astrid

Monday Ramblings...

Time to ramble...

Did you know that Andrea is actually my BFF's sis-in-law?
Yep, she sure is.
And now one of my closest friends.


Our kids are BFFs.
Every Tuesday, Andrea, Jude, & sometimes Cecilia come over.
Last week we had a picnic lunch.
We like to refer the 4 of them as the "pseudo-quads".
Cuz that's what they act like.


I think this is a funny picture.
These items sit on my sewing desk.
That would be 2 plastic containers of sewing goodies.
A few lighters for burning the ends of ribbon.
Compressed air b/c I have fuzzies all over the place.
Oil for my machines.
And a new pair of scissors for trimming thread.
(not sure what the screw is for)


The seasoning we use in just about everything.
Actually, now that the kids are eating most of what we eat,
we take it easy on the Tony's.
This stuff will make ANYTHING taste wonderful.
Just sayin'...


These are the.best.cookies.ever.
The Cookie Jar can create just about any theme you want.
Just ask them.
Lisa & Ira are the most awesomest eva!
If you decide to get their cookies,
tell them I sent you their way.

XOXO,
Astrid

Just something to think about...

XOXO,
Astrid

Fixin' up an ol' tank top!

It's called repurposing.
Is that even a word?
Either way, it isn't too hard to do.


Allison brought over this tank top that she adores.
But the beading had come loose.
She asked if I could rebead it & I laughed.
Um, no.
Not a chance.
Instead, I ripped the beading off and had a clean slate to work with.


But that got me to thinking.
This tank is a really pretty shade of red, almost coral red.
I had to find something that would go with it.
At first, the thought was a {SIG} bloom made in to a brooch.

Then I saw my girls' headbands from photos we did in October.
That was the AH HA moment.


I stripped the rosettes I made from fabric,
put them on a stiff piece of felt w/ hot glue.


Then I trimmed around the rosettes.


Finally, I attached 2 pins on since it is a larger brooch
and I wanted it to sit pretty.


At last, it was time to attach the new brooch
to the tank top.
Perfect fit!


I am happy to report that Allison LOVES it.
And I can see why this is her fave tank.
I love it too!

Before/After


XOXO,
Astrid

From {SIG} fan to the {A}Team

Hey everyone! It's Anne from the {A}Team! Astrid has been asking me to do a blog post for quite some time now, so...reluctantly...here goes!

First thing you should all know about me is: I. CAN. NOT. SEW. So why, you may ask, am I part of the {A}Team? and how? Well, Astrid and I have been online buddies for a few years. Since we were both pregnant with our triplets, in fact. When I found out about {SIG}nature Creations, I clicked "like" - the same way I do for all my fellow triplet mama's businesses. We have an amazing network online and we do all we can to support each other! When I checked out her work, I fell in love! Here is a pic of my little girls in our first purchase from {SIG} - personalized tutu combos.

That was it. We were sold. Hello, my name is Anne and I am {SIG} addict. From there we bought peasant dresses for Christmas, Christmas Stockings, bubble dresses, pocket skirts...on and on and on! Here are our peasant dresses and bubble dresses:

Is there any wonder why we were hooked??

Astrid and I spent so much time on the phone talking about orders that we struck up a genuine "real life" friendship. One day Astrid just threw it out there. Could we? Should we? Why not? With the business ever expanding and more orders coming in, Astrid needed more time to sew. She needed someone to help keep up the Facebook page, answer emails and give the {SIG}customers the attention they deserved!! Why NOT me? I'm a fan after all! I know what we like, I know what we want, I know what it feels like to be on the other end of "the process." Not to mention - I may be the most (forgive the crass reference) anal retentive, organized person on the planet! Why not put those skills to good use! ?!

So, there you have it. That's how this non-sewing girl went from being a {SIG} customer to a part of the {A}Team!! But I'll let you in on a little secret...I'm still a HUGE fan!!! My girls will be wearing their brand new Dr. Seuss Gabi Criss Cross dresses to church this Sunday - I can't wait!!
Thanks for reading :)

Anne

Bow Tie Hair Clip Tutorial

It's our first {SIG} tutorial! I've got to give Andrea the credit. This is her project, I just thought it would be great for our intro in to the tutorial world. We brainstormed quite a bit & are going to be keeping a list of little projects we think are fairly easy to do. If you ever have any questions, please email us at signature.creations@hotmail.com. Here goes...the {SIG} Bowtie Hair Clip...

Materials:

Scrap piece of fabric for the main part of the bow

(you choose the size but for this tutorial, we are going w/ a piece that is 6” x 2.5”)

Scrap piece of fabric for the center band of the bow

(at least 1.5” x 2” & it can be the same or different fabric)

Thread/string/curling ribbon

~Glue gun (I like a high heat glue gun)

Hair clip of your choice, we are using a single prong clip

Iron

Construction:

Cut your scappy in to a 6” x 2.5” piece. Cut your center band in to a 1.5” x 2” piece.


Now you are going to fold your bow tie piece in to thirds. Press to hold shape.

The next step is to fold your piece toward the middle. Make sure the ends overlap. This is a must otherwise your bow tie will come apart! Press to hold shape.

Now it is time to make the bow tie “look” like a bow tie! You will need to grab your thread/string/curling ribbon for this step. Cut about 6-8”. Curling ribbon tends to stretch a bit & will hold a tie as you are knotting it & most everyone has some laying around. If you are a sewer, you can also use thread. We like to use Stretch Magic (normally used to make jewelry).

Fold your nicely pressed piece in to halves. You will then fold the top half back & the bottom half back. This is going to make it look like a pair of fabric lips. Tie that pucker together!

Time to put the center panel together! Take the smaller piece of fabric (you can use the same fabric or a contrasting fabric piece) & cut it to a 1.5” x 2” piece. Now repeat Step 2 by folding this piece in to thirds, long way.

Time to glue the center band in place along with the clip. You can choose to line your clip with 3/8” grosgrain ribbon but for this tutorial, we were thinking more along the lines of what you may have at home & to save a few bucks. Not only that, you can't see the clip anyway.

Take the clip & put some hot glue along the length of the flat side of the clip. Center your bow tie on the clip. Hold in place until it dries.


Now, take that center band & hot glue it to the inside of the clip directly below the tied part of your bow. Wrap the band tightly around. If you want to secure the center on the top of the bow, put a tiny dot of glue, then continue around until it gets back to where you started. Put some more hot glue down & smoosh that fabric down tight until it dries.

You are all done! Shout “hip-hip-hooray” & jump up & down! Now, comes the tough part. Where do you place it in your hair? There are so many possibilities! The best part, if you want to make the bow tie bigger, you can. Just start with bigger pieces. Enjoy!!!

XOXO,

Astrid & Andrea




PS ~ Click on the photos for a larger image!

Monday Ramblings...

And here we are, another beginning of the week.
Time to share some randomness.
I love the outdoors.
Unfortunately it is super hot
(like over 100 friggin' degrees)
and we don't spend much time outside.

But there are times I do go out.


This is my beloved sprinkler.
We have quite the relationship.
I spend a lot of time moving her around the front & back yards.
Cuz we don't have a small one.
And it hasn't rained in a bazillion years.
Which for Houston isn't good.
The grass is thankful for the sprinkler.
Honestly, I just wish it would rain.


This is our garden.
Yep, we have a little garden.
This fall we are expanding.
I want to grow green beans & snow peas.
And lettuce.
TX is the perfect place to grow these goodies during the winter.


My hubs & I refer to this as the love deck.
We got married on it.
Seriously. No lie.
The canopy was acquired from my neighbors.
They were going to throw it out.
How does the saying go...
One man's trash is another man's treasure?
BINGO!

We also love to sit under the canopy.
Even in the dead heat of the summer.
Just in the evenings.
Late evenings.

And that is it for now.
Next time, I think I'm going to concentrate on something indoors.
It was hot outside when I took those pics.

XOXO,
Astrid

{LOVE} for Dr. Seuss

It is no secret,
Dr. Seuss is highly regarded around these here parts.
We love him.
We adore him.

Anne shares the same Dr. S love that I do.
As do her kids & my kids.
All seven of them.
(Yep, Miss Anne has a set of triplets & an older daughter.)

The fabric is so vibrant & fun.
The possibilities are endless.

Planning can be tedious but w/ this fabric,
it is so much fun!

These are the bodices before anything was attached.
I love this shot.


And here is are the bodices put together w/ the bottom of the skirt.


And I know you want to see the skirt part of each dress.
This is my artsy-fartsy view.


And the regular view for those that like a straight on photo.


I just can't wait to see Erin, Nora, Evelyn, & Maeve
in their Dr. Seuss pretties!
Just so you know, Melanie made matching bows.
Gotta wait to see them w/ the outfit.

It's killing me!

XOXO,
Astrid

To Etsy or Not to Etsy

That is the question.
I have been debating this for a while.
The fees, after all is said & done,
are a bit on the high side.

That really is the main reason I don't do Etsy.
But I'm thinking of a comeback.
To have some "for sure" items in there.

What I mean by "for sure" is that no matter the season,
I can get the fabric.
I guess I'm talking about things like tie shirts
or other freehand applique shirts.

Thinking of just selling the iron on appliques as well.
This way, you can put it on any shirt you want.

And then there are regular ties.
I think we should carry those.
But then I run in to the problem of time.

I'm out of time.
I need to take some "time" to get everything straight.
Time to get ready for the big shoot.
Time to figure out what I want on Etsy.

The exposure on Etsy is awesome!
You really can't beat it.
And it is probably worth the fees,
especially if you can get a good rep on there.

So, the question still remains,
to Etsy or not to Etsy?
And if I do, what do I list?

Opinions?
Would love to hear from you guys on this one!

XOXO,
Astrid

Let the fireworks begin!

We are really close to finishing up the April upload.
Like {this} close.
There are some customs mixed in to the upload.
They are of the patriotic variety.

Yep, it's time to start showing off the red, white, & blue!
I can't wait to see the gobs of fabric we have
be created in to beautiful one of a kinds.
SO EXCITED!

Here are the ones that have been made this year.


This is my Gabi girl.
Don't mind the wet hair.
We had just gotten out of the pool.


This is for another set of triplets.
They are going to look absolutely precious!


Jennifer's crew wore the above set.
The Sofi dress is precious!


I was so excited how this trio turned out!
Andrea did a fab job w/ the bottoms.
Staci tackled the tops.


Finally, Angela's sons will look super cute
all coordinated in this jon-jon romper & shorts set.

Can't wait to see the photos of all the cuties
in their Patriotic {SIG} goodies!

XOXO,
Astrid

PS - I had to share my fave Patriotic dessert.
It is a hit every.single.time.


If you want to know how to make it,
here is the link for the Patriotic Flag Dessert.

Monday Ramblings...

I think I like to ramble.
I know I like reading the ramblings of others.
So here goes another round.
And possibly a Monday tradition.


I {heart} Baby-G watches.
I've owned probably 5 or 6.
I wear them every.single.day.
Without fail.
I must have it on.
I am lost without a watch.
I even wake up in the middle of the night & check the time.
Did I mention OCD?


A man cannot live without duct tape.
I cannot live without packing tape.
It fixes so, so many things.
And the best kind thus far?
Target's Up brand which is also the same as Scotch but for a fraction of the price.



Yes, I am revisiting the wine.
You will come to find out, I love wine.
That glass on the right?
That is my wine glass.
Yep, I'm TPT.
Honestly, it is the only glass I trusted around the kids.
They can't really spill this glass.
But a wine glass?
Fuhgetaboutit!


Ah, Diet Pepsi.
Use to be a Diet Coke fan.
But that crap leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Not good ol' DP!
I have 1 or 2 every day w/ lunch.
Chex Mix that is.



This is the latest read.
I've already read everything else about Mötley Crüe.
Except for Nikki's latest book but I have it here & it is next.
Mötley Crüe is our band.
Todd & I.
We danced to Without You for our 1st dance at our wedding.
We even went to the concert on Friday night.
It was KILLER.
Can't wait for another good concert to come through.
I use to LOVE going to concerts.
Time to resurrect the love.

Chuckin' da duces!
Astrid