Friday, December 24, 2010

Last Minute Easy DIY Christmas Gift

DIY: The Easy-as-Pie Pot Holder




Materials List:
Half a Yard Cotton Batting
Half a Yard Insul-Bright
(2) 8" by 8" squares of cotton fabric
(1) 3" by 6" square of contrasting fabric (for handle)
Total Time: 15 minutes



1. Cut out the Insul-Bright into an 8" by 8" square. Available at any fabric store, this runs around $3 a yard. It has two sides- one has a metallic covering, and the other is a soft cotton. The metallic side will be facing the hot dish.

2) Cut out the batting.

3) Fold the 3" by 6" contrast fabric into thirds, so that both seams are tucked in.

4) Assembly: Put the right sides of the designer fabric together and then the batting/Insul-Bright on each WRONG side of fabric.
Your pot holder sandwich:
Insul-Bright with metallic side on wrong side of designer fabric
designer fabric
designer fabric
cotton batting

5) Pin all fabrics together, and insert the contrast handle between the two pieces of designer fabric.

6) Make sure to sew through all layers, and leave a 4 inch split in the seam for turning.

7) Trim seams and clip corners
8) Turn right side out
9) Top stitch the outer seam, closing the 4 inch gap that was left open for turning.

Voila! An easy and quick potholder that will look great in your kitchen.
**Disclaimer: I generally use these for taking the quick and easy items out of the oven, or placing hot items on the table. I am not sure how well it would hold up to extreme heat over time.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Candy Cane Lane






Just arrived- the most delicious Candy Cane sets ever.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Giveaway this week





Please join us on facebook for this week's giveaway- a Padalily Car Seat Handle Cover.
These are life savers for when you have to lug around heavy infant car seats, and they are adorable and stylish to boot!
Winner announced Sunday evening.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

A little late:-)

I hope you all had a wonderful day visiting with family and friends!

As I approach the five year anniversary of my business, I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how thankful I am for YOU! This business has brought new friends, fulfilled my dream to stay at home with my kids, and challenged me in the most enjoyable way possible.

THANK YOU!

Friday, November 5, 2010

All you can eat for five minutes.

This week, I am all about stealing ideas.

First, I stole the Thanksgiving Tree from Nilsen Life.

As if that weren't enough, I have gone and done it again.

For the last week, the words "One more piece, Mom?" have been whined all.day.long.

Even the little guy has started. "I have Candy, Mom?" he says, with his pacifier hanging half out of his mouth.

I took a hint from The Meanest Mom around, Jana Matthews. If you have yet to latch onto her blog, you are missing one great read. She is hilarious.

She set the timer, and let her kids eat all the candy they wanted for five minutes.

Except I changed one teeny little thing.

Our playroom was trashed. Toys scattered in the living room. Trucks and Cars lined my kitchen floors.

"If you pick up the entire house, I will let you eat as much candy as you can consume in five whole minutes. We will call it Crazy for Candy."

The kids were so darn excited that they picked up every last toy, and created a competition to see who could pick them up faster.

How much candy did they consume, you ask?



One piece of bubblegum and one pack of sweethearts for Bryce. Kayden picked out three pieces of gum, and was giddy for a half hour.

This Halloween candy laying around might not be so bad after all......

Monday, November 1, 2010

Callin all hunters!

It's that time again! Time for the eleventh annual cloth diaper hunt!

MiniMe BabyGear is a proud extreme sponsor this year.

How does it work?

Register at diaperdecisions.com. Then, visit the participating hunt sponsors to find a hidden icon on their site to earn entry into the 90 great prizes, including two Grand Prizes, and One Ultimate Grand Prize. Did I mention they are giving away an iPad?

Happy Hunting!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Looking for a way to store your diapers?




Diapers, wipes, lotion, desitin...the never ending list of supplies for changing diapers.
We live in a two story house, and I hate running upstairs to change a diaper. These reversible fabric organizer bins make it easy and chic to transport your changing loot.

Want to know something rare? They have a ton of cute boy options!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I can't handle it








I am adding ruffled bloomers tonight that are TO DIE FOR! Aren't they adorable???

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Meet the Binki Bear!

You know that old saying "Well, they won't go to kindergarten with their pacifier"?

Left on his own, I am pretty sure my strong willed 2-year-old would.

We are slowly transitioning from the pipe.

I wish we would have started him with this Binki Bear:







The nice part about it is that, when you are ready to get rid of the pacifier, you already have that transitional object for them.
It works with any pacifier on the market, and comes in a cute little yellow bag for gifting.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Have I been doing this that long? LOL

I really do love feedback from you all. It makes my day.

A few days ago. I opened my inbox to read this:

My cousin received her Wet Happened pouch yesterday and loves it. I love your product! I have had one since my daughter was a baby (she's now 7 years old), and thought about handing it down but I still use it often for holding toiletries when we travel, or as a back up plastic bag. There are so many uses for it, and it's held up exceptionally well over the years and numerous washes.

7 years old, and she was a baby when they got it. I cannot believe I have been doing this that long! Time flies, I suppose.

Thank you for the awesome e-mail!

Giveaway this week!













We are giving away your choice of a Minky Dinky this week, over at Facebook. Simply leave a comment for entry!

Please remember to check back weekly as we give something new away each week. Listed on Monday, with the winner drawn via Random.org on Thursdays.

I love to giveaway baby gear, and hope you will join us!


Thursday, September 30, 2010

The pillow

Remember the DIY pillow? The one with the gray ruffles?

Well, I have not had a chance to get to it yet. Or really that much else, either!

My son picked up a parasite, which set me behind quite a bit. He was sick for a full month, almost every night.

Thankfully, we have moved beyond that.


Houeskeeping:

I want to quick point out Katie's Great Giveaways. She has partnered with MiniMe BabyGear to giveaway a Made by Angie wipes case. Please hurry, if interested! That giveaway ends tomorrow, October 1st.

Also, I have a stack of new products to add that I am really excited about...mostly shoes! I have lofty goals of adding them all this weekend.



Thanks for your understanding during this month of illness!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Diaper Bag by Cara's Creations

Have you seen these adorable diaper bags by Cara's Creations? I have had them on the site for a while, but just updated fabrics, and there are many adorable new options.











Each bag is handmade, and comes with durable handles and a magnetic closure snap.

I have the Mocha Stripes, and I honestly think this is the easiest tote to carry around. Sturdy and the perfect size, this is one great bag!

You just cannot beat the price tag, either- $39.99 for the Evie and $49.99 for the Thallie. Pick from a slew of fabrics to create your custom creation.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Olive Striped Tie Onesie

Isn't he to die for?

I just love it when customers send pictures of their kids in MiniMe BabyGear goods.

Little Braylon is a cutie. Thanks to mom Nicole, for sending it to me!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Happy Dance

In January, it will be five years since I started MiniMe BabyGear.

Today I was cleaning out my desk and came across my goals from that first year of business:


~Create a job in where I can stay home with my kids yet still contribute financially
~Be creative and come up with a few innovative products
~Grow consistently, at least 20% a year
~Make new friends out of customers and other businesses

I would say I can put a big, red check mark next to each and every one of those. I am blessed.

Did I ever tell you that my original site was MiniMe Embroidery? Then I watched someone type in my URL address and realized embroidery is kind of hard to spell :-)


I made one product that took off right away:




A dedication/baptism/christening pillow (or blanket) with "God Bless This Child" and their name on it. Some days I think about bringing it back, but my husband is quick to remind me how much work is involved in personalization.

In late 2006, I introduced the Wet Happened? wet bag, and very soon after I commenced making all other products. I could not keep up with sewing, which was a wonderful feeling!

I remember the first time I received 10 orders in one day. I called my mom to take my kids so that I could get to work.

How exciting it was being featured on the Daily Stroll and subsequent 130+ orders that came through during the first hour. Also, how difficult it was to sew all of those in a short time frame.

The phone call I got from Target, wanting me to fly to Minnesota to be a part of the Parent Inventors program. Seeing it on the Target shelves the first time.

All of these were such great moments, this product was almost like a third child to me!

Feeling very out of my league during the year in Target, and stressed about the manufacturing process in general, I often prayed for some sort of change. Since my husband does not work during the summer, he became full time dad so I could tend to the business of Wet Happened?. 50-60 hours a week was spent checking over bags, ironing, reworking bags that were damaged, sewing, shipping, invoicing, and packaging. Being a one woman sweat shop was not on my goal list (see above), so something had to give.

Then I partnered with Itzy Ritzy. Their company vision, attention to quality and detail, chic style and fabric selections, strategy for growing the Wet Happened? wet bag....I just knew it was meant to be. What I had prayed for.

I won't pretend it was easy to let go of such a huge part of my life. But, on the other hand, it is really satisfying to see someone else have so much faith in a product you created. Because they are incredibly business savvy, a lot of great ideas have been implemented that I never even thought of (like the Wet Happened/Snack Happened fundraising program).



And then I see this picture, taken by one of their fans, at a Nordstroms. My heart swells in a completely different way.

Still as proud. Still a huge accomplishment.
They just look so pretty, don't they?

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Giveaway!

Please head on over to facebook to enter this week's giveaway- a flower applique onesie with ruffles on the tush.

Winner to be drawn Thursday evening. Good luck!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Meet Graphic Designer: Natalie Jelsema



I have to admit- for the most part, I have been a "Do It Yourself" sort of business woman.

I did my best creating a postcard, but I always felt they fell short of how I wanted them to look. I would describe them as boring...lacking spunk. A good friend of mine, Natalie, offer to spruce them up a bit. The only requirement I had was that they had to match the magenta envelopes I ship orders in.

Aren't they awesome? I am thrilled with how they turned out. They are so much more put together than the ones I have designed by myself in the past.

If you are looking for a graphic designer, I would highly recommend her! I could not be more pleased. Please contact me if you would like her info, or look her up on facebook @natalie jelsema

Tuesday, September 7, 2010