July 10
The Coast Guard
What a great month it's been. More clients are calling for work all the time. Nicole and I delivered the privacy curtains (aka rack curtains) to the Coast Guard Station in Cape May. The crew of the Mako couldn't have been nicer to us. Her 4-year old daughter was with us and they were wonderful to her, even giving her a snack. We got a full tour with Addison getting the opportunity to sit in the seat where the cutter is piloted from. From the Coast Guard Station, we headed to Cape May Point to walk on the beach, collect shells, look for Cape May Diamonds (didn't find any) and get our feet wet in the surf. It was a great day!
Despite the extreme heat, we've been working hard getting ready for the fall craft shows while thinking cool thoughts. A new selection of patchwork pillows has been added. New appliqued jackets are in the process along with some great children's clothing. Nicole and I are enjoying playing with all the fabrics, mixing and matching to get just the right look. We're looking forward to meeting you at the craft shows and displaying our new merchandise.
Karen
The Coast Guard Cutter MAKO
June 25
Now accepting credit cards!
Wow, have I been busy! The Coast Guard Station in Cape May, NJ placed an order for privacy curtains for one of their boats (ships?). I never know when a boat becomes a ship. We're hoping to deliver the curtains in the next week or so and take some pictures while we're at it. A client came out today with fabric and material for a chipmunk costume. Another project we're involved in right now is making clothing for a pair of 1948 Campbell Kids dolls. I'm in the process of investigating the material right now to try to find the same type that was used then.
My big news is that I'm now accepting credit cards. You'll be able to call the tool-free number for phone orders. We'll also use it at the craft shows or when picking up your work in person. It was the next logical step to help grow my business. I hope that everyone will like this new convenience and take advantage of it.
Karen
April 25
First craft show
Saturday, May 1 will be our first outside craft show of the year. Please keep your fingers crossed that the weather is good. Nicole will be running our exhibit. Please come out to say, "hi" to her and see our new merchandise.
Work has really been keeping us busy. We've gotten a lot of new clients and some amazing projects. We just finished making a slipcover for a loveseat and now have a riding habit to make. And of course, there are still all the alterations to be done.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring. My Iris are blooming as are my Coral Bells. The biggest surprise has been my rose bushes. They are absolutely full of buds and one has decided to bloom! What a lovely surprise! Enjoy the wonderful spring weather!
Karen
March 15
Spring is around the corner
What a winter this has been! The snow seemed to never end. I know that for many of you around the country, this is normal. But here in New Jersey, it's far from normal. Now though we're seeing the first vestiges of spring. All my bulbs are beginning to poke their leaves above the ground and I'm even seeing some hints of green around my day lilies. Welcome Spring!
The first craft show of the season is just around the corner. We'll be at Lenape High School on March 20. Please come by and say "hello". We have a number of new items of childrens' clothing as well as some really unique aprons.
Last year was the best year Especially From Karen has had and this year has started off amazingly well. There aren't words to describe how appreciative I am. All I can say is thank you from the bottom of my heart. Nicole and I look forward to a wonderful year seeing our established clients and meeting new ones.
Karen
September 13
Fall is finally here. Well, maybe not according to the calendar but certainly a stop at the garden center with the brightly colored mums and pumpkins says it's fall. Children have gone back to school and people are starting to think about the holidays. At Especially From Karen, we've been working hard on new ideas for the holidays as well as finishing up all the wedding sewing. This summer has been the busiest yet for weddings and I still have one to finish.
We plan to attend three craft shows this fall. October 3 is Pet-A-Palooza at the Cumberland County S.P.C.A. in Vineland, NJ. Buster, an alumnus of the S.P.C.A., will be attending with us. We hope to encourage people to adopt shelter dogs. Next will be the Elmer Harvest Festival in Elmer, NJ on October 17. There are always a lot of activities for the entire family - antique cars, wagon rides and music as well as a lot of food.
Finally, we'll be at Lenape High School on November 28. It's a great place to do some Christmas shopping for one-of-a-kind gifts and sure to be a lot of fun. I hope that some of you will have a chance to stop by at the shows and support the organizations sponsoring the shows.
Karen
July 29
I had the pleasure of making a christening outfit for a baby boy who will be christened on August 2nd. The material for the outfit came from his grandmothers wedding gown. The outfit will be handed down through the family along with a christening gown yet to be made. These will truly be a family heirlooms.
Karen
July 18
I just answered a very important question, "how do I preserve a wedding dress". Many brides simply put their gown in a cedar chest or a garment bag thinking that will preserve it. Some will even have it dry cleaned first. Sadly, a few years down the road they want to show the gown to a friend and low and behold, they find it has discolored or worst, the fabric has broken down!
If you want to properly preserve your beautiful gown I would suggest the following procedure. Take your gown to a dry cleaner who does wedding gown preservation. I want to caution you here, many will say they can do the job for you and will even clean it but after doing so, they just put it in a box! So make sure they do the following.
It should be packed in "acid-free" tissue paper and stored in a "conservators box". Why? Because it WILL protect and preserve your gown for many many years! Also be sure you request that the box doesn't have a cellophane window for obvious reasons.
If you are having difficulty with finding one, call a bridal salon for recommendations on where you can have it done.
All of us want to preserve our beautiful treasure. So I hope you will follow the proper procedure to make sure your gown stays in the condition it was when you first put it on, on one of the most special days of your life! Of course I won't guarantee it will fit!
June 27
The wedding was wonderful! It rained earlier in the day but except for one brief and very hard shower, there was no rain. The girls were "piped" in by a bagpiper. The girls came down from the house to the tent, the bridesmaids clustered around Lori so Stephen couldn't see her as the bagpiper played. He played the "Wedding March" for Lori to walk to. After the ceremony, the sun came out although the ground was still very wet. I think my lovely silver shoes are ruined. Still, we had a wonderful time and the kids are very happy. It was fun to see their friends from high school all grown-up. I told the kids I wish them as many blessings as rain drops that fell on Saturday.
Now I'm back to sewing for the July and August weddings. And of course, getting ready for fall and winter.
Karen
June 13
The time is getting shorter until my son's wedding - next Saturday! We've had the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties. All the bridesmaids' dresses have been altered and so has the mother-of-the-bride's dress. The bride's gown has been altered and now has to be bustled. Yes, I'm the mother-of-the-groom but I'm sewing for the bride. It's a very exciting time.
Once Stephen and Lori's wedding is over, I have two more weddings to sew for this summer and one already scheduled for 2010. I'm having such a wonderful time sewing for all these young ladies.
I know that it's not officially summer yet but I'm already looking forward to fall. There will be some new items available that I think you'll like. Then, before you know it, Christmas will be here. I think you'll like the new merchandise I'll be showing for Christmas and winter, in general.
Have a good weekend and take some time to do something just for you!
Karen
May 18
I finally got another dress. I really loved my first dress but it really was made to wear in the winter. So, my mother and I went shopping on Saturday and I found another dress. While in Macy's we visited the Ester Lauder counter because they had one of their customer events on applying and deciding on the right makeup. Well, we now know what makeup to wear and as a bonus, we can call the local Macy's and have our makeup applied the day of the wedding!
Take care for now,
Karen
May 11
Hi Everyone!
Do any of you ever experience what I did yesterday? I was at the bridal shower for my son's fiancee and all of a sudden reality set in that they're getting married. The date has been set for several months, the caterer chosen, and gowns purchased. I've made the arrangements for the rehersal dinner and ordered and sent invitations. Yesterday, when long-time friends were congratulating me, it suddenly all became very real. The shower was very nice and the kids received a lot of nice gifts. As a side note, everyone is keeping me so busy that I bought a dress to wear to the wedding rather than make one (although I did buy fabric). I just decided that I needed to alleviate some pressure. My mother and I went shopping to find a dress for her. I tried on one dress, fell in love with it and bought it. Any of you who may be in the midst of getting ready for a wedding, whether your's or your child's, enjoy!
Karen
April 2
What is It?
What do you think this is? Any idea? It's something I'm using to make something else.
The weather seems to be getting nicer but slowly. My Daffodils are starting to bloom and the Forsythia is getting brighter every day. A squirrel or rabbit seems to be eating the Tulip leaves. If anyone has a suggestion how to stop the "grazing," I'd appreciate it. More shortalls and sundresses are coming so I hope you'll keep checking back. For those of you who have daughters who don't like sundresses, there will be some shortalls for girls too.
I hope those of you dealing with the floods in ND and MN are safe and seeing the water starting to recede. To everyone, have a good weekend and if you can, take some time from chores to enjoy the spring weather.
Karen
March 21
Thank you
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contacted me after visiting my web site. It's very gratifying when I'm so new to this. I hope my work will continue to please you.
The gingham outfit for little girls was added today and denim shortalls for little boys will be added next week. I plan to add something very special within the next month. It's something I've never seen anywhere else. There are also some new home decor items coming soon. I have a lot of ideas and have been working on patterns and choosing fabric to bring them to fruition.
Again, thank you for your positive comments and support. I appreciate every single one.
Karen
March 03
What's New
Hi Friends!
With all the snow the past few days, it seems that I should be thinking about Christmas instead of spring and summer. However, since we know that spring and summer will be here soon despite the snow, I've been working on some darling gingham shorts and tops outfits for little girls and shortalls for the boys in your life.
We have big news in the family. My older son, Stephen, is getting married in June. This follows the wedding of my best friend's daughter in December. Catherine needed a jacket of matching lace to go with her gown made so I'll be including a picture of the one I made for her soon. With weddings come bridal showers. For Catherine's shower, I made fabric bags out of a Christmas print which were filled with goodies. They will be shown on the site and can be ordered in fabric to coordinate with your wedding colors or any colors you wish for you to fill. They can also be used for a baby showers.
There are plenty of other ideas in the design stage and I hope you'll like what I'll be showing you.
Karen
March 02
Adding FAQ and new pictures this weekend!
Hi,
I will be adding a FAQ webpage this weekend and also new photos and items. I hope the FAQ page will answer many of you questions. Please come back soon for these new updates.
Karen
February 25
Just getting started!
Hi,
This is Karen and I hope you are enjoying my website! It's only been up for a short time and I am constantly making changes and adding new items. This past weekend I was able to set up purchasing my items through Paypal. I also added some exciting children's clothes which I hope you will look at. When I have time I plan on offering a "FAQ" page which I hope will answer some of you questions.
Karen