The BIGGEST giveaway we've ever hosted!

Hello, friends! If you're coming over here from Making It Fun (The Michael Miller Fabrics blog) then welcome! If this is your first stop, then I ask you to please go over there and read part 1 first.

Yes, you read right... this is the BIGGEST giveaway we've ever hosted! We are just head over heals in love with our newest fabric collection, Lush, and the new MODKID Spring 2012 Sewing Patterns to go with it, so we've prepared an awesome contest for you all.

The folks at Michael Miller Fabrics have graciously donated 1-yard cuts (yes, that's right!) of EVERY print in the collection! WOW, are you sure you have enough space in your sewing room for this? This is a HUGE bundle! And to top it off, we will send another lucky winner our entire Spring 2012 Sewing Pattern collection... that is 4 brand new patterns, hot off the press!

Here's what to do:

• If you haven't gone over to Making It Fun, please do that now and check out my Designer Spotlight.
• Come back and let us know what your favorite print in the Lush collection is and/or your favorite new MODKID pattern.
• For an extra chance to win, leave a comment at Making It Fun. We will be picking a winner from there too!

Winner #1 will receive 1-yard cuts of the entire SWEET colorway... that's 16 yards of fabric!!



Winner #2 will receive 1-yard cuts of the entire SUNNY colorway... that's 19 yards of fabric!!



Winner #3 will receive all 4 of MODKID's Spring 2012 Patterns!



All winners will be randomly chosen next Sunday, February 5th, 2012. Don't forget to leave us a way to contact you if you are one of the lucky winners!

So, there ya have it... what will you do with all this if you win? WOW! Best of luck to you all!!!

***UPDATE! This contest is now CLOSED! Thank you all. You can see the winners HERE.***

True story...

The new sewing patterns went to print today and I can finally breath a huge sigh of relief. I wouldn't be lying if I said this was by far the most time-consuming and stressful of all of our pattern releases. And it's probably in part because I became a little (or a lot) OCD in the last moments before handing over the files. Now that it's all over, I think we made the right decisions, but at the time I was second-guessing myself and probably stressing out everyone around me in the process. haha

Case in point, this past Friday I was about to collect all files and burn the disk when I looked at one of our covers and thought it probably needed another "view" shown so everyone out there could easily see that the dress looks so different if sewn with other options and fabric combos. Keep in mind that we've already told the printing company that the files are on their way and they have scheduled their presses accordingly. I called Emalee and Jon over to my desk and presented my idea to them: re-shooting the cover with two models (two views) instead of one. This meant that Emalee had to drop everything and sew a new dress, Jon had to call the printer and say "Stop the presses!", and I had to call my friend Nikki and ask if we could pretty please borrow her adorable daughter for a quickie photo shoot that evening. Luckily all three of these people didn't look at me like I had three heads (or maybe they did behind my back) but we made it work...

Emalee sewed a new version of this dress in record time (seriously, the girl works magic on that sewing machine... sparks fly all around!). Jon got the printing company to agree to receiving the files today (Monday) instead of Friday as expected. And Nikki, brought cute little Anna, all full of smiles over to MODKID HQ after school.

I always let the girls goof off a bit before the real shoot so they can get comfortable with the camera (plus it's a great way for me to play with the lighting and get it just right) so here are a few of the practice shots we took that evening.



Silly girls...



Cracking up...



Cute daydreamy looks...



Then we got the pose I wanted but lo and behold, they didn't both look "perfect" in it, even though we shot over 50 photos of this pose alone! As you see below, the girls each looked better in a different version of the same shot.



So that's where my other pal, Photoshop, came to the rescue. Take a girl from here and a girl from there, even out the background, sharpen a little over here, brighten a little over there, some creative cropping and VOILA!



Then as I was ready to hit SAVE, my computer crashed and I had to start all over again from scratch. The photos were still there, but I lost all the Photoshop work I did for the past hour+. That's when I said "That's it! I'm done for today!" We ordered Chinese take-out, got a couple of beers, let the kids play in the back with the Wii and had a good laugh. On Saturday, I came in and worked my magic, in the quiet and peaceful studio, and the final picture turned out even better than the first one... so I guess everything happens for a reason. ;)

Retailers: if you have a wholesale account, you can log on to our wholesale site and pre-order all the new patterns. For the rest of you, you'll have to wait a couple of weeks to see them all up there... heehee... but I will sneak peek them all as I usually do here, so stay tuned!!

On being a hypocrite...



If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook or even here on ye olde blog, you've probably noticed that I've been really absent on the social media front lately. I hate to use this as an excuse because really, it's all work-related, but I have just been swamped with work. All the new patterns go to print tomorrow so we are knee deep in editing and proofing this week. The book comes out in just 8 short weeks so we are finishing up the promotions and marketing plan which includes blog tours, parties and a very special schoolhouse session at the Spring Quilt Market. Throw on top of that my busiest fabric season EVER -- two lines and three different substrates! More on all of that soon.

But, as the last of the patterns are being proofed by Emalee I found myself with a few minutes to spare this morning, so I thought I'd update the blog, but with what? My brain is mush right now because of being torn in a million different directions, lack of sleep and what not, so I can't do a serious work-related post at the moment.

Been thinking a lot about parenthood and about how it changes you... one might even venture to say it makes you somewhat of a hypocrite at times. The things I used to roll my eyes at and even mock out loud when I was young and single, are the things I find myself doing (and proudly) now.

Case in point, before kids came around, I used to think New Years Eve was not New Years Eve without a rocking party and a killer hangover the next day. Now, I find nothing wrong with staying home with the family, letting the kids stay up till midnight for once (even if one of them doesn't quite make it) and hugging and kissing at the stroke of midnight. The 20-year-old me would've thought the 40-year-old me was uncool, sad and utterly boring.

But more recently, the topic of music came up. I admit that I'm definitely not a prude when it comes to music or TV. As a kid and young teen it was all about Madonna and George Michael and we all know what some of their lyrics were like! Then later on, it was darker genres of music... I was all about alternative and industrial bands. The lyrics of some of these songs are utterly disturbing... but I loved them! And somehow I turned out alright (or so I hope).

Now, when it comes to my kids, it's a totally different story. They were listening to Pandora last night, the Selena Gomez station. I was working on my laptop just a few feet away, thinking it was all cool and fun. Then a Rihanna song came on. It was Rude Boy. Now, I'm not a Pandora expert, but I glanced over and saw that they had the lyrics up on the screen... and Sydney was looking at them! Eeeeek! I jumped out of my chair and skipped the song so fast she didn't know what happened... it was like supersonic speed!

So, I started thinking today and a facebook conversation between family and friends was sparked about this. Ya know, I never intended to be a "freaky mom". I know all too well that kids will be exposed to things worse than this in life (through school, friends, TV, etc.) and I can't shelter them forever. I also know that it's better if they are educated about things and if they feel free -- and comfortable -- to ask us questions if they are ever confused about something. That's why, as they grow older, I hope they see Jon and I as "friends" besides just "mom and dad".

But a little part of me just can't help but be overprotective and want my girls to stay little and innocent for as long as possible. I mean, I just cringe at the thought of my 7 year old singing (even if it's in her head) "Come on rude boy, boy, can you get it up?" or "Sex in the air... I love the smell of it!" Eeeek! Just typing that made me get chills all over. And again... the 20-year-old me would've thought I was ridiculous. But then again, the 20-year-old me would've hated Rihanna for a whole other reason... too mainstream! ;)

All of this talk about kids growing up too fast got me thinking about the little things... the little accomplishments that are bitter-sweet. Like, for example, the first time they are able to take a shower alone. Sydney (7) just started showering unassisted about 6 months ago. Of course, one of us always sits right outside the bathroom door... just in case. I usually just bring my laptop and check email or something. But as much as this alleviates our workload as parents, it's a little sad when they don't need you for everything. Also, I know this is going to seem so trivial and dumb to anyone out there who doesn't have kids but, the first time they understand that they have to hold on to the cuff of their long-sleeved shirts or sweaters before they put their jackets on because otherwise the sleeve will ride all the way up... that day is HUGE! And I mean tear-jerking huge... as in, WOW, she's all grown up! sniff, sniff. Then I remember all the times I whined about why they don't understand that and I have to go and fix the situation. Am I alone?



Mark my words... this little one up there ^^^ is gonna be trouble one day (regardless of what music she listens to!)

Anyway, well... looks like Emalee is done proofing, so I need to go and make some edits now. It's been fun, but that's it for now, folks. Deep thoughts, by Patty Young. ;)

Treat Yourself with a MODKID Discount Code



My latest fabric line, Lush, is finally hitting stores worldwide so we've decided to celebrate with some new treats and a discount. We've created a couple of sampler packs for you to test out our new Lush ribbons and now you can even have a 10% discount on your order! This applies not only to ribbon but to anything on our site, patterns, pin tins, fabric scrap bags and kits! In the coupon code box on the checkout form, please enter the code JAN10, and your order will update the total to reflect this coupon code. Please note, MODKID only sells directly to consumers in the USA. Coupon code expires January 31, 2012.

Lush Ribbon Sampler #5 has all the pink and orange tone ribbons:



And Lush Ribbon Sampler #6 has all the turquoise and green tone ribbons:



Our Woven Fabric Scrap Bags now come with bits & pieces of LUSH among other lines, so this is your chance to test out the new goodies... at a discount!(Limited quantities available).



And what better thing to make with your fabric scraps than these adorable Modern Lotus Pillow Covers? This super easy to make mini-pattern is now in stock and ready to ship!



Like I said above, the JAN10 coupon code will get you 10% your total order on ribbons, patterns, pin tins, kits and fabric scrap bags, and it expires on January 31st, so this is your chance to stock up for the new year!

Happy Shopping!

Thinking back and looking forward

We hosted Christmas at our house this year, which meant that all of my family from Florida came up and all of Jon's family from Chicago-area came down... luckily not all at once, so it wasn't super crazy (just a little). :) This was the first time in years that we had all of my family together under one roof -- well, actually, the first time EVER, if you take into account that our newest member is only 4 months old -- so we took this opportunity to try to get a nice family picture.

We all gathered at MODKID HQ late on December 22nd (after celebrating my sister's birthday), turned on the self-timer, and tried to get serious for a photo. Here's a look behind the scenes at our attempt to get everyone to stand in one spot, look forward, not close their eyes and smile for the camera (easier said that done, when you have 10 people ranging in ages from 4 months to 69 years!)



Of course, the kids behaved properly and did what they were told... can't say the same for the adults.











This one was almost perfect but baby Natalie was looking down and a few of us were looking, hmmmm... not so enthused.



So, with the help of my BFF (Photoshop) I took a face from here and another one from there, put them all together and... voila!



I drove my parents -- the last remaining guests at our house -- to the airport yesterday so now it's eerily quiet and a tad sad, so I'm trying to keep myself occupied with the piles and piles of work that awaits me at the office. Forgive me if you've sent an email that I haven't responded to yet. I promise I will get to it this week... or next!

I am really looking forward to this year. It's going to be a year of firsts in so many ways. This is the year I become a published author... YIPPEE!!! (and speaking of that, I didn't forget that I still owe you guys another book sneak peek... I'm working on it!). This is also the year in which I offer my fabric designs in more than one new exciting substrate... DOUBLE YIPPEE! (more on that soon, soon!) And lastly, we hope this is the year we grow our company beyond our wildest dreams. Ohhhh... we have so many plans and so many aspirations. My imagination goes non-stop!

I thank you all for your support in 2011 and I wish 2012 is the best year EVER for you too! Now, get back to work!! :)