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12.03.2012

Staghorn Coral - Growing

Hi,

I am currently working on a custom line of Scarves with an endangered species theme, and one of them is Staghorn Coral. While doing the research on it, i found this video,

....and I am sort of mesmerized by it...

.
Cannot wait to share ALL the designs I am working on for this line ;-)




11.26.2012

Girl's Skirt gone organic!

I love seeing what people make from my fabric!
Makes me want to learn how to sew professionally ( in case you are interested, I have a loooong list of things I want to learn: make amazing desserts, ice skate, French language, play piano, gardening, etc)
Recently, I have partnered up with a wonderful kids clothing store on Etsy, Laken and Lila, to produce a line of clothes using my organic fabric.
While we are waiting for professional photos, check out a little sneak peek of this cute outfit made from Red Umbrella fabric:




How adorable is the little model??

11.20.2012

ORGANIC kids bedding: What the heck is a duvet cover?

I have been incredibly busy with my Etsy shop and custom orders - that's good news! But I have completely neglected my blog- and that is really really sad :-(
I do want to start popping up here more often, to keep updates on my creative developments.

For today, I want to explore the land of duvets and duvet covers for kids.
As an immigrant from Eastern European country, I grew up using duvet covers on a regular basis. We really did not know any other way.
A duvet is French for "down". So nowadays under duvet, we assume any fluffy, stuffed comforter. When I was little, we would take any warm wool blanket or a down comforter ("duvet") and enclosed it into a bag-like cover, that would have buttons, zipper or ties as close the opening. Just like a pillow case you would take the duvet out at the end of the week and throw it in washing machine. Easy - peasy!
When we came to America, I learned about fitted and flat sheet. Fitted sheets  - Wow! What a revelation! We did not have those back where I was from, we used  flat sheets and tucked all the edges under a mattress, but the fitted sheet was so much better! But then what does one need a flat sheet for?? I was confused.
Later, when I stayed at the hotel for the first time, I learned the hard way that a flat sheet here is used for under the comforter. Waking up all tangled up in that sheet was....well..pretty annoying. I was an adult then, and it was difficult to imagine how people or kids, for that matter, sleep that way!
Anyways, I have nothing against a flat sheet, but we are not friends when it comes to covers. Until this day I use duvet covers and dearly miss them when on vacation. Luckily, I don't have to make the bed while on vacation, but my heart goes out to poor maids, who have to untangle my flat sheet from a giant ball it becomes by the morning.
All this talk about my discoveries in bedding dept is not meaningless, I do have a point. And here it is: if you want to make it easier on your kids during the night - use duvet covers for their blankets/comforters. Not only does it provide a more comfortable sleep, it is easy to wash and it can really change the look of the room in minutes! Plus making the bed is SO much simpler!

Another benefit of duvet covers: when your toddler is too big for that tiny, stamp-sized
 baby blanket (36x50 or less) but too small for a twin comforter, what do you do?? I found that some stores sell throws that are just the right size, around 40x50. Also, places like ToysRus or Target carry lots of Disney themed comforters/blankets that provide good coverage. If you anything like me, and enjoy seeing your child's room as a-well-designed-place that fits within the rest of your house, and not as if a cartoon has exploded there, then you might want to purchase a duvet cover, and hide those neon- bright, wide-eyed, polyester characters from the recent animated picture, with a fresh, modern, original cotton cover.

There are tons of online retailers carrying duvet covers, but if you want something unique and not mass-production-y, check out My Etsy shop - I just started making kids bedding! Duvet covers, pillow covers and fitted sheets. All custom sizes to fit your existing comforters, blankets and pillows. So just contact me via Etsy to get a quote. Or just email me: newmomdesigns@yahoo.com. I can do twins as well.

I am using my ORGANIC cotton in 12 designs that arrived this summer.
( My 4 year old son was so sweet (!!) and gladly modeled for me)

1
 3
 4
6

8.31.2012

Organic Cotton just arrived!

Since last August I have been working very hard to produce 12 of my most popular designs overseas and offer my customers better prices.


Finally they are here! 

Printed on Premium 100% Organic Cotton these beauties are now available 
at my Etsy shop for just $16 yard!

Come on over and get yourself some!

See you!

7.18.2012

Stuffed Italian Peppers

I want to share a yummy recipe for a nice family dinner: Stuffed Italian Peppers.

You will need:

1.5 lb of ground chicken meat ( you can use any meat of preference! )
1/2 cup of rice
8-10 green Italian Peppers
1 large carrot
1 celery stalk
1 large tomato, or a package of small cherry tomatoes
4-5 potatoes
2 onions
Dill+Cilantro
Tomato Paste or sauce
Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt+Pepper

1.Mix ground meat with inced garlic, 1 grated onion, salt, pepper, rice
2. Cut the pepper tops off, and clean the insides with your fingers or a teaspoon. Take out all seeds and ribs.
3. Fill the peppers with meat mixture. Fill it firmly to make sure no air pockets left inside peppers.
4. Meanwhile saute 1 chopped onion, celery and grated carrot in olive oil.
5. Once golden, add chopped tomatoes. Saute for a couple minutes.
6. Place your peppers on top of sauteed veggies.
7. Add peeled, halved potatoes.
8. Add some water, to fill up almost to the top of the peppers
9. Add a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste of sauce, mix to dissolve
10. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 30-40 min.
11. Add fresh herbs and ENJOY!

Here is step by step collage:






2.16.2012

Custom ottoman slipcover

This has been the longest blog-free break I have ever had. I have been busy with my Etsy shop and I just had to prioritize my duties.
Anyways, I have some pretty cool before & after photos of a project I worked on around the holidays. It was for my good friend and looks like they are happy with the result.
Take a look at the custom fabric design for an ottoman:


The "before" shot shows how the ottoman looked straight from the store. Not too bad, but my friend wanted a bit more personality and color.




 The "after" shot shows the new, custom designed ottoman cover. My friends LOVE books, so I used the idea of  a bookshelf that wraps around the sides. It features various books spines with different patterns, colors and sizes, as well as decorative objects that tend to rent some space on people's bookshelves. To make the ottoman a bit more practical and fun, I integrated a magazine pocket, and secret flap for their daughter with a cute surprise behind it.

I had such a blast designing it and it really pushed my thinking into "how would it look on the actual piece" kind of direction.
Hope to have more projects like this :)