I've moved!

After 3 1/2 years here at Blogger, I'm finally taking the leap and moving to a WordPress blog that's part of my website! Please join me at the new blog.

$5 off personalized aluminum sports water bottles, 3 days only!

UPDATE: This sale has been extended through Friday, 4/8/11.

I've noticed an increase in water bottle orders recently, and as I was filling my son's water bottle for soccer practice it occurred to me that spring & summer sports are probably the reason for it. I can't tell you the number of times that my son has left his water bottle at practice or a game - it's so frustrating! At least now that he has a water bottle personalized with his name it's more likely to be returned to him.

I've also had a few customers mention that they need their water bottles in time for Easter (which is no problem!) I think that's a great idea! I'm always on the lookout for non-candy items to add to my kids' Easter baskets, and I think these would be a big hit for kids ages 4 - 8.

So I figured this would be a good time to offer $5 off water bottles. For the next three days (through Wednesday, 4/6/11), I've marked them down from $24 to $19.

Circle of Moms Top 25 Party Plannin' Moms

I'm so honored to be a nominee in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Party Plannin' Moms. If you have a minute to check it out, I'd really appreciate your vote!

Project Nursery Giveaway {Personalized Children's Pillow}

Be sure to visit Project Nursery sometime in the next week to enter for a chance to win a custom olliegraphic pillow! The contest ends April 1st, 2011 at 11:59 PST.

Buy Any Pillow, Get an Art Print FREE!

For the next week (through 3/22/11), get a FREE 8"x10" or 11"x14" art print (retail value $20 - $30) with the purchase of any pillow!
There are three ways you can take advantage of this offer:

1. Let me know the details for your art print in the "Comments" section when you check out.
2. Send me an email with the details for the art print that you'd like after placing your order.
3. Add the print to your order, and I'll refund that portion of your order.
   

Camden's Cookies and Milk Birthday Party

My friend, Heather, recently contacted me to see if I could add a little sister to my olliegraphic chef invitations and the bunting from my ballerina invitations. I love how they turned out, and it was so much fun to see pictures from the party on Heather's blog this morning.
As you can see, Heather has completely outdone herself once again!
For even more pictures and all the details, check out the full post at Heather's blog.
Photos by Mel Larson.

New! Silhouette Pillows

I added silhouette pillows to my website and Etsy shop this morning.

I'm starting out by offering 9 different animals (bird, turtle, penguin, cat, dog, kangaroo, giraffe, bunny, or butterflies) and 6 kids (4 girls and 2 boys).

I haven't been able to get any great pictures of them yet, which is so frustrating because they're really beautiful in person - these pictures don't do them justice at all.

I'd love to hear what you think of them!

Growing your Business through Collaboration with other Small Business Owners

Have you been following oh my! handmade goodness? If not, you really should check it out! I love the direction that the new editor, Jessika, has been taking it. Here's a link to my most recent post about the ways I've grown sarah + abraham through several collaborations with other small business owners.

custom birthday party invitations: magic party and fireman party

Meg at olliegraphic recently designed these cute custom invitations for a magic-themed birthday party and a fire station birthday party. I love how they both turned out! You can view more examples of Meg's custom work here.

If you'd like to commission Meg to create a custom illustration for you, you can then have it printed on any of the products that I offer through the custom section on my website. Please feel free to contact Meg or contact me with any questions!

more personalized pillow photos

Yesterday afternoon I took some pictures of my friend's son, Owen, with a personalized pillow. When we were done he started to hand the pillow back to me, and I told him that he could keep it. He was so excited, his reaction really made my day! People have told me "my daughter is going to love this" or "my daughter loves her pillow", but seeing that reaction in person was such a treat.

When I decided to offer personalized throw pillows I was mostly thinking of them as a decor item that would delight moms more than kids, so it's been great to get positive feedback from kids, too!

giveaway alert

How cute are these photographs by Carrie Davis of C. Davis Photography?! I love seeing Charlotte's face right next to the pillow... she's such a cutie!

Also, I wanted to let you know about a giveaway going on over at The Savvy Moms Guide. Be sure to leave a comment there before Wednesday for a chance to win a free personalized pillow!

custom handmade throw pillows for kids

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to finally unveil my newest product line - personalized throw pillows for children! Perfect for adding the finishing touch to a nursery or a child's bedroom. They've been in the works for 3 months. A friend of mine, Jen, inspired by my olliegraphic collection, came up with this super cute all-fabric, completely handmade interpretation of Meg's drawings, and then went all out perfecting the final product.

To make them, Jen starts out with high-quality upholstery fabrics (we're offering 7 colors to begin with); sews on a face cut from muslin (light, medium or dark); then sews on a hairstyle cut from felt; hand-embroiders the eyes, nose, and mouth; hand-embroiders the name (in print or cursive); and finishes the pillow cover with a neatly sewn flap (so the insert is removable). Needless to say, each pillow is truly a labor of love!

Jen made samples for several different photographers, so I'll be adding more product photos soon to my website and Etsy shop, but I couldn't wait another day to share these pillows! I'd love to hear what you think of them.

invites for a Build-A-Bear Workshop birthday party

Meg at olliegraphic recently designed these super cute custom invitations for a sibling birthday party... I think they're perfect for a Build-A-Bear Workshop birthday party!

Meg also created custom invites for Campbell & Charlie's reptile-themed birthday party last year (featured here on Oh My! Handmade Goodness).

These are two of my favorite custom invitations. You can view more examples of Meg's custom work here. Isn't she talented?!

If you'd like to commission Meg to create a custom illustration for you, you can then have it printed on any of the products that I offer through the custom section on my website. Please feel free to contact Meg or contact me with any questions!