"dat is toooooo woud, pwease stops!"

and this is what happens when the "helper" in your sewing room gets tired of the john john marathon, especially the end when i hammer all the snaps.

good help is hard to come by.

ever since i could remember i've been poppin' my collar

so, usually my ruffle pants knock the socks off of any other order that i have...but not this time. oh no, move over ruffle pants and let the new queen wear her crown.

the adeline dress

thank you, thank you, thank you to all of my customers out there that followed me on this tangent. i found this pattern about this time last year, and debated over and again about putting it on BG. i knew i loved it, but then again....conservatism in kid's fashion isn't my strength. i was very nervous about my customers liking it, but looks like you all loved as well. i cannot even tell you how many of these dresses have been worn in professional photo shoots, and do you even know how awesome that makes me feel?? that people want to have their child captured in a moment in something i have sewn. wowsers.

and just so you know, the fall line has some whammies out there too. hope you are still along for the ride into the non-conservative side. :)

now, let us just pay homage to the adeline as seen here shot by my fave photographer, mary moment photography. here is the original BG model.

i'm a numbers girl

okay, so you know how i like to count back at the end of the season and see how many orders overall i completed, right. right. well, i just sat down to count spring/summer '10 to see where my tally was. and so far, from the numbers on my order sheets (not counting last minute orders, or changes or things that were snuck in) the magic number is:

440

rock it out BG. super proud. this number is not near the 691 of the fall (that also included SEC and christmas) but my goal was to keep it down so that i could also maintain my sanity and some time for my family. so, all in all...i am pretty impressed. go ahead thelma & louise!

so, i am wrapping up the spring/summer orders slowly but surely. i think i have less than 30 now, which makes me breathe a little easier.

onto fall in the next step. i just got the majority of the fabric in the mail today. still waiting on some of the yardage to trickle in, but it is fun and so fitting with the idea that i have for the fall line. lessons learned the hard way, no spoiler pics just yet but maybe just a little teaser....it is retro, it is boho and it makes me smile.

i've been getting some great feedback for how to handle fall orders. many people like the idea of the trunk show/preview party....but some are concerned since they are out of town. don't you worry out-of-towners, especially my repeat-offenders, you will still get to order if i did that. i cannot be forgetting you girls! as i said before, i would absolutely fall over myself to get to meet my customers instead of just knowing their emails, method of payments and kids measurements...but i also almost pee my pants just thinking of the overwhelming amount of orders that may come in and if i would lose my cool in front of everyone and give everyone a show of the sailor tongue or not. hmmmmm. i am still waiting for the right answer to come to me. i do think this time that i will debut the line BEFORE i start taking orders so everyone can have a chance to look it over and make choices without feeling rushed.

okay, the treadmill is calling my name at the moment and when i time it JUST right...the toddler gets to watch a fave show and i get peace on the motorized asphalt. :)

peace out peeps.

lots of stuff

okay, lots going on. let's start here:

• how 'bout the new look? likey? i know all the tabs are now gone and the ORDERS: CLOSED sign is gone (this DOESN'T mean i am taking orders, it just wasn't pretty on the eyes) but things are still working the same. i will soon have a fancy new website that will have all the styles, sizes and prices along with all the info about me you'd ever care about, etc. isn't my new logo brilliant? thanks again to erin holmes for that bit of graphic designing wonderfulness! this will soon be working just as a blog, like it should. just to give updates, post some pics, etc. thanks for baring with me in the process.

• seriously guys, in my last post, i reached out for some help in how to handle the fall orders. i really want some feedback here, and haven't gotten any yet....so all ears are open here at BG!

but most importantly, remember my lenten promise? if you don't, it was called "40 days to help the strays" and you can read all about it here. well, let me just first say how embarrassed and ashamed i am at myself for just now getting to it. yes, things have been a bit crazy-wild here at BG and at the norris house-hold...but still, no excuse. these sweet, innocent animals who are waiting adoption and forever homes at CARA shouldn't have to wait because my life is wild. so, animal babies...i am so sorry, but it had gotten put on the back burner until my friend summer adopted a sweet canine from CARA last week and it refreshed my memory.

well, in the 40 days of lent....i was a busy bee. i knocked out 107 articles of clothing. whoop, whoop. i thought long and hard as to how to do the donation side of it. i would have loved to do a percentage of all articles made, but let's face it here....BG doesn't operate with a huge profit margin, and we did need some money to live off of. so, what i decided to do was to put $1 to CARA for each article i completed. so, today i went to CARA and gave them the $107 that they deserve more than anyone. i was immediately embarrassed that i couldn't give more. and the ladies there were so sweet and so thankful, but i never expected less. i don't know who said it first, but i STRONGLY believe in the saying that "animal people are good people." in fact, i use that as a judge of character a lot of the time. animal people are good souls. they just are. well, these ladies at CARA were angels in my eyes. and it inspired me to want to do more for them and all of the precious dogs and cats that i saw behind their walls. initially, i would have liked to adopt a pet per item completed, but i think byron would definitely leave me on that note. but seriously, in driving away today i cried. and my eyes were watery for a good while afterwards. my heart was broken that i couldn't give every one of those sweet animals a home. so, please...if you are looking for an animal to love in your house or know someone who is, please please please (this is me on my knees) go to CARA first. please. if you don't want an animal right now, call them up to see if they need help. see if they need dog food or cat litter or something. this is a no-kill shelter and they operate off of the good's of peoples hearts. before i continue on my soapbox, i think i need to quit. :)

but, in wanting to do more...i am *thinking* of having a certain applique on the fall line for the boys that if purchased, the proceeds would go straight to CARA. what do yall think?

okay, enough for now. must get to machines and get started before i put the tot down for a nap. but please, all input and ideas for how to handle fall orders is GREATLY appreciated!!

Just an Update

Okay, still sewing away at the end of the Spring/Summer '10 line. As soon as I get this all finished up I will begin work on the new Fall line which is going to be spectactular! I have some really fun things designed in my head and am hoping that i can get them all out on paper to create some fabulous patterns that are original to brownie-goose. I am going with a vintage/retro look this fall and hope you all love it just as much as I do!

With this being said, I am also having my most favorite photographer shooting the fall line for me to put on my new website. Whoop, whoop! Katie Stafford from Mary Moment Photography will be shooting all the frocks and I am so excited as she has come up with some awesome ideas to showcase my work. All this excitement, plus the design wheels that don't start turning until around midnight have created some sleepless nights recently, but it is going to be well worth it! So, if you see my blog start looking funny or cannot go to a previous page or something, have no fear...it is just me messing around and trying to get the new site up and running.

I am still pondering how to do the ordering system in the fall as I would love for everyone to be able to order, but must also make time for my family that comes in first. I have also put some thought into having a pre-order party at my house so that I could actually meet some of my customers, but nothing is in writing yet. So, no promises. I have also put some thought into going in with some of my uber-talented friends to do a joint show/party to showcase everyone's works, but this is still in the thought process too. What does everyone think? Some ideas that have been given to me as for ordering are to limit the amount that an individual can order, limit the time-frame that I take orders, do a sort of lottery system, etc. All ideas are welcome, as I am clueless and want to do what is best for family first and then one that makes my customers happy. As my guilty-pleasure icon sings it....the best of both worlds.

So, I ask all my faithful BG customers to put your thinking caps on. What do you think is a good system? Would you like a show/pre-order gathering? Just comment on here what you are thinking.

Thanks girlies!

PS - i also just had to remove all the names and site of the girls i was advertising a few posts back since it was bringing TONS of SPAM to my site. Holler if you need these names.