February's last Friday Freebie - Napkins

***Freebie is at the end.

My best friend is continually trying to go GREEN in all areas of her life.  With 5 kids, that isn't easy, but she does an AMAZING job!

She has wanted to get rid of paper napkins for a LONG time.  That made Christmas easy for me!

She got "The Twelve Months of Christmas"!  Each month, I send her a set of reusable cloth napkins for her family.  These penguins are her January Set.

And I had to include a cute tag each month, you know, to the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas:
"On the first month of Christmas, my seamstress sent to me: A cold penguin family!"

I made them all the same so there would be no fighting....but there was worry about sharing someone ELSE'S germs by accident, I heard!

So for February's napkins, they each earned there OWN napkin.  I'm sure that stopped all the fighting between the kids at meals:)

 The kids napkins are just the right size for them 8.5" x 8.5".  Similar to a paper napkin.

The lone boy napkin!  It was hard to find "valentine" fabric for February that wasn't too girl for Noah and his dad.  I think this worked out and he was over the moon when he opened the package:)

The adult napkins are about 16"x16".  They are the same size as the sandwich wraps, but square.

My kids asked recently how old they have to be to get an adult napkin....I told them when they are an ADULT....like when you move out:)  I don't think they get it:)

"On the Second Month of Christmas, my Seamstress sent to me: 2 Heart Napkins and some more for the family."

Are you singing as you read?  Cause I am even as I type and now that song will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day:)

I'm sure you have guessed that this weeks FREEBIE is napkins.  I want to help you go green too and not just part of your lunch, but with the entire thing.  Take that last step and start using cloth napkins.

This week it is easy.  ONE small napkin FREE with any lunch kit or set of 3 snack bags purchased.  Napkin will be made to match.  If you would like to upgrade to an adult napkin, there will be a $2 fee (to cover extra material).

If you order two lunch kits, you get two napkins free, etc.  Easy to go green, huh?

Just leave me a note at checkout that says FREE NAPKIN PLEASE:)

Custom Baby Shower Burp Cloths

I love my friends.  They are my some of my biggest supporters.  They are creative and they have an eye for design.  They tell me when something is good....and when it is not.  They are good sounding boards for ideas and color schemes.

I have TWO friends who ALWAYS do their own thing and put their own twist on my designs.  They always know what they want and I'm the tool to sew it!

 "Double" Burp Cloth and Standard Burp Cloth

One almost always picks fabric for me to sew with.  I love it, because it puts her own personal touch on her gift.  Her friends are having BABIES and she likes to make those gifts very personal.

Standard Burp Clothes with Embroidery ON the fabric and in the corner of the cloth

The other just shows up with her own fabric and burp cloths and says, make burp clothes, do what you want, use some embroidery!  FREE REIGN!!!  YEOW!!!

Embroidery - Blue in Font #1

When she told me the baby's name would be Scarlett, I instantly thought of RED.  Who doesn't?  But I was so pleasantly surprised when she came with these fabrics.  I had to wrap my mind around a different color scheme, but I love me a challenge!

Bottom Block Burp Cloth with Circle Initial Embroidery

It gave me a chance to try some new designs with both the fabric and the embroidery.  It definitely challenged me.  And I doubted my choices more than once.  

Circle Embroidery with Initial - in Pink font #3

This was the only request.  An embroidery that has a decorative circle with an initial inside.  I love that she pushed me to try something new with my machine.  I stressed the entire time the machine was working and I hovered over it, but I think it turned out beautifully.  It's girly and fun and I'm gonna be using it a lot more!

Fully Backed Burp Cloth - Embroidery in Blue #5

This is my new FAVORITE!!!   I've wanted to do one like this for awhile, and just never had the chance.  I love that redesigning the burp cloth, allowed me to put her whole name on it and right in the center.  I also love how the fabric creeps around to the front giving you a little sneak peak at what is on the back.  

So fun to work on this last week!  Baby Scarlett joins the world soon and I hope that she loves her new accessories:)

Week 3 FREE Friday!

Batman Mask: Available in Black or Pink

I haven't sewn a cape all week!  That is almost unheard of around these parts, so I think we need to remedy that this week.

Masks available in  many colors!

FREE MASK with any cape purchase this week!  Buy one cape, get one mask free!  Buy two capes, get two masks free!  And so on:)

Stock up on capes and masks for Birthday Parties and Easter Baskets!

Capes come in 4 sizes:  Newborn (great for pictures), Small, Standard, and Large.

Masks are one size, and fit most kids (they have elastic in the back), but can be customized for each superhero!  Just send me a head size (around the eye line), and we'll make it smaller or bigger!

 So fly on over to the shop and pick out your cape and mask!

Details:

1.  FREE MASK offer is good on NEW orders only.

2.  Offer Expires on Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 11:59pm.

3.  Leave me a note at checkout with:

     *style (boy, girl, batman)

     *color

Zip on over to the shop and get your orders in SUPER quick!

WINNER!!!

I first wanted to thank everyone who offered up some wisdom for my baby sister:)  You guys are great!  She is almost two weeks in and starting to get the hang of motherhood.  And grandma and grandpa have arrived and are getting some snuggles in this weekend.  I'm jealous, but I'll get my chance in a couple weeks!

I'm not very techniqually inclined....I married into that...but alas he is working, so I did it old school.  Write out all the names with "likes" and comments and let random.org pick the winner.  And because I don't know how to do a screen shot, I took a picture for you guys:)

The Winner of the "New Baby Gift" set from last week is #11 Emily who said:  

EmilyFebruary 8, 2013 at 12:49 PM

Already like you! So excited for my college roomie! Best tip, sleep when you can! My favorite baby item has been my Becco carrier!

Congratulations Emily! Contact me so we can work out the details on your Custom New Baby Set!
theumbrellagirlshop@yahoo.com

February's Second Friday

*Giveaway and Freebie at the end of this post.

This is my baby sister:)  A couple weeks ago, I went out to visit her when she looked like this...

for the record: baby was a surprise and we took pictures with both the boy pin and girl

Last weekend, she and her husband welcomed a baby boy!

The Buth Family

And we are OVER THE MOON excited to celebrate this little guy!  Jackson, you are a precious gift from God.  I'm just wondering why you couldn't come a couple days early, so I could have been there to snuggle you?!?!  I'll admit I'm a wee bit jealous that my husband is going to get to see him first:(  But then again, my husband maybe deserves some boy time with 5 girls at home:)

So FEBRUARY has even more reason to celebrate now.   Welcome to the world Jackson!

Zippered Pouch, Diaper Keeper, Changing Mat

Since Baby was a surprise, I had my sister pick out a boy fabric and a girl fabric, and told her I would sew any baby stuff she wanted once baby arrived.  I couldn't really get a jump start on sewing....I had to wait!

So this week I've been busy sewing Dinosaurs!  With 5 girls, it was fun to drown myself in boy stuff:)

Diaper Keeper, Zippered Pouch, Changing Mat

She needed all the tools of a new mom to keep her life organized now that Jack is here!  I don't know about changing BOY diapers, but I do know that you need the diapers and wipes handy and a mat.

Zippered Pouch

 She wanted a zippered pouch to keep all her baby essentials.  Making it plastic lined will make it easy to wipe out if something spills.  Plenty of room in there if Mom wants to stash some stuff too!

Zippered Pouch

And if Jack messes up his clothes....

Small Wet Bag

Don't worry, cause Mom has extra dry clothes in the wet bag!  And then contain the mess by slipping the dirty/wet stuff into the wet bag.

Snuggle Blanket

 And when Jack gets fussy and tired, she'll just need to pull out his snuggle blanket to help sooth him.

Snuggle Blanket

This luggage tag on her diaper bag is a great place to stash his Doctor's Business Card as well as lost and found information.  

Luggage Tag

When he gets bigger, he can tag his backpack for school or his suitcase for trips to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

These early days are just about feeding and sleeping.  But he is going to have the cutest drool and spit with this dino set.  Are late night feedings any easier or better if you have cute accesories?  I think so:)

Bibs and Burp Cloth

A couple new things that have been developed just for my new nephew...

Paci Keeper

 There is nothing worse than a newborn that keeps dropping his pacifier and when it rolls under something and you can't reach it and you are JUST SO TIRED!  I get it.  My girl, throws her paci in the car and then gets mad if you can't reach it:)  No way I was gonna take several 18 hour drives without a paci keeper this past Christmas!

Clip on one end  attachs to the bib or his outfit and elastic on the other end keeps the paci from falling.  I tried to make it versitle since I didn't know what his paci preference would be.

Paci Pocket

And my sister can stash a couple extras in her paci pocket attached to the outside of the diaper bag.  An extra paci is always close at hand.

No doubt that they are going to be GREAT parents.

EVERYONE deserves to be equiped for greatness!

Set includes Diaper Keeper, Burp Cloth and Bib

I am giving away a FREE New Baby Gift Set this week!  Win it to keep or gift!  You pick the fabric that you want.

I'll also offer FREE embroidery on any baby items this week.  Just send me a convo and we'll work it out!

Rules for the GIVEAWAY:

Entry ONE:

1. "Like" the Umbrella Girl Shop on facebook.  (that way you don't miss anything important:)

2. Come back here and tell me you "liked" us or you already do.

Entry TWO:

3.  Leave a comment here with a good parenting tip, must have baby item, or words of wisdom for these new parents.

Good luck everyone!

Giveaway and free embroidery expire on February 14th, 2013 at 11:59pm.  Winner will be announced on Friday, February 15th.

Disney Trip Essentials

There are two kids heading to Disney this week!  When you make the trip to Disney, you have to have the ESSENTIALS:)

1. T-shirts: check!

 2. Custom Snack Bags: check!

 3. Back Packs: check!

My cinched back pack come in size small (good for ages 2-6) and large (good for ages 4 and up).

I also include a pocket on the back for identification.  When we took our kids to Disney last year, I put their  name on the front of the tag and then on the back, I put my cell phone number and my husbands, along with our names.  I made sure my big kids knew that if they got lost, to find a park employee and show them the tag so they could call us.

It also comes in handy if the back pack gets lost or left on a ride in the park and it needs to be identified.  Not that my kids ever did that:)

(No these are not all MY kids!  Just the three on the right.  The other three belong to my best friend:)

Are you planning a trip to Disney?  What are your essentials for the kids when you travel?

FIRST FREE FRIDAY OF FEBRUARY

I'm celebrating this month.  Will you join me?  My shop is turning 3!  I'm having a birthday (I won't share which:).  There's Valentine's Day and just an overwhelming love and gratitude for the customers who continue to support me.  It has been such a blessing to have a shop in my home that allows me to stay home more with my girls.  So I think a THANK YOU is in order.

The Details:  So here is how it works.  

1. Each Friday in February, I will post a new FREE item from my shop.  

Beach Bag with initial "C" in Red - font #4

2. Offer is good for NEW orders only and cannot be used for items that have already been ordered or shipped.  Sorry:(

Cape with name Tyler in Red - Font #1

3. Offer expires on the following Thursday at 11:59pm CST.

Diaper Keeper with name Jude done in white - font # 4

4. FIRST FRIDAY FREEBIE....Embroidery!  Offer is for ONE free item embroidered per order.  May choose an initial, monogram or name.  Leave me a note at checkout:

*item you want embroidered

*what font #

*initial, monogram, or name

*thread requested (I have most and will match it to your product as best I can)

5. Most items can be embroidered, but if you don't see an example, have a question, or a custom request, just let me know!

6. Embroidery Fonts can be found here.

7.  Offer for free embroidery is good from Friday, February 1st, 2013 - Thursday, February 7th, 2013 at 11:59pm.

Zippered Pouch  with name Jessica in Brown - font #2

Wet Bag/Dry Pocket with name Hollander done in Red - Font #1

Lunch Sack with SULLIVAN done in Yellow - font #1

Now head over to The Umbrella Girl Shop and place your order!