Applique Cafe Designs

Posted by on July 26, 2011

 Today I purchased my first “sewing room” item from my (long) wish list. The disorganization (stuff all over the floor, piled on my desk, etc) is driving me crazy! Browder & I went to Hobby Lobby and I came out with the below BULLETIN BOARD. I know you can purchase great  bulletin boards from Hobby Lobby and elsewhere, and I think I even posted a photo of one a while back. But… have you ever done a pushpin test? Some bulletin boards that you purchase don’t even have enough cork board to hold a pin. We have one in our kitchen, and if you walk past it whatever you have pinned is liable to fall out. SO…. today I purchased a 24″ x 36″ plain cork board from HL ($16.99). I did a pushpin test and the pin sticks all the way in to the cork board securely. Does this make sense? Then, I meandered over to the open frame aisles (which were 50% off) and purchased one suitable for a 24″ x 36″ picture. I asked the lady working there if she thought it would work, because the cork board was a HAIR smaller than inside the frame, and she then proceeded to put it together for me, filling in the small gaps with some type of foam strips so that it fit, stapled it in place, covered the back with paper, put hangers & wire on it and then I just paid for it. It was close to $50, but I think you could do one a little cheaper (or more expensive depending on your frame). I didn’t realize until I got up to the front that their coupon for this week was not the usual 40% off which I could have used on the cork board. It was all put together so there was nothing I could do! This is a pretty simple black frame, but they also had tons of different styles to chose from. I didn’t think the sewing room needed anything too fancy! I’m excited to hang it over my desk and get rid of a little of the clutter (notes, business cards, etc.)

Last night someone posted on Facebook that they saw several Applique Cafe designs on the Rags Land Facebook page. I found it and low (liked it) and behold right up top were these pictures! Long story short, I emailed Rags Land and they did in fact purchase some of our designs for their Fall/Winter clothing line!! This is great news for Applique Cafe and our customers, as you can reproduce Rags Land tees for a fraction of what they charge ($37+ shipping/tax)! I found these 9 that they used. Their Production Manager said they do not sell more than 250 shirts of each design, so they are safe with our new store policies.

 

 

 

 

 

They also used designs from Embroidery Boutique and Applique Momma. We’re scratching our head as to why they’d purchase designs that anyone can purchase, but I guess it’s good for us!

We’re in the process of re-uploading water marked photos to our website and Facebook page! I’ve been wanting to do this and found an easy program to watermark them. Now it’s just a matter of re-uploading them.

I’m also working on sampling new designs ~ I’ve done 2 and lack 2 and we will post those soon! We’re approaching our 2nd anniversary (or birthday?) as well as 6,000 fans on FACEBOOK!  Woo Hoo!

p.s. Check out my Sewing Room board on Pinterest! I’m gathering neat ideas for sewing rooms.

Filed Under: Applique Cafe, Design, Shopping | Tagged:

Green, black, white??

Posted by on July 11, 2011

Noodles?

 This weekend was home improvement weekend! We are in the process of replacing air vents upstairs, we got a couple of new ceiling fans and Jeff put together our new office furniture! While he built stuff, I made Chicken Tetrazzini (for 30). This was no easy task, as most of our kitchen supplies are boxed up because we’re eventually going to redo our kitchen (sometime in the near future hopefully). I had to triple the recipe and cook it in shifts. We happened to have this huge-mongous crab boil pot so this was my makeshift mixing bowl. This is a YUMMY recipe by the way, and even 1 recipe will feed a few families. If you’d like it, comment and I’ll post it!

This was how much 3 recipes made ~ I add cheese the last 5 minutes of baking! It’s really good and freezes well. This is my friend Karen’s recipe and I’ve made it many many many times!!

And here is our office/sewing room tonight (below)! We’re missing a drawer on the left desk ~ awaiting a replacement part from Home Decorators. This is from the Martha Stewart Craft Collection and it’s very heavy and sturdy and I’m really excited about where this is going! You’ll see our old dining room chairs which we will eventually replace with maybe this? We need to go do a test sit and see….

This is my corner. I couldn’t part with the tool chest just yet as the drawers are full of hoops, stabilizer and other supplies (my fast frames, etc). Jeff was looking forward to wheeling it out to the garage but for now it’s staying! Notice the nice office-y plastic mats under our chairs from Costco. A) I wore a hole in the rug at our old house with my chair, and B) this carpet is new, hence the mats.

This is a sign we bought while at the beach last month! We definitely took a chance with starting Applique Cafe!

Sissy & I went to Winn Dixie Saturday morning to buy all the stuff for the Tetrazzini, and I passed by these on the “jar aisle”. They sell jars in all shapes & sizes! Right ~ some crochet appliques I always forget that I have from Quiltware.com. They are really cute when sewn on a gingham patch, or, just sewn on a little onesie or layette gown! I have 2 more jars, as it came as a set of 4.

I’m thinking PEGBOARD in between the windows? This one is from THIS BLOG!

 

Or the above is from THIS BLOG! I have been searching for sewing room ideas on Pinterest and keep coming across pegboard! I’d like to hang my thread on it and maybe some other things!? I plan to paint it too.

Above my computer I think a bulletin board is in order. Maybe this one from Hobby Lobby? Jeff also had cable installed so a TV will eventually go up in the corner, which is kind of exciting!

Anyway, it’s a START! I’m seeing a color pattern ~ white, black & green. My fabric is still in the other corner in the stacked plastic bins/drawers. I’d like to find a cuter solution to that and have had my eye on several things including cubbies, or some type of something (furniture) with drawers on the bottom and shelves. This was a moving in photo ~ I got rid of the plastic drawers on the right, the printer and the other stuff on the floor.

 Not bad for a couple of days work! Some day it’ll be Pinterest-worthy! Just a reminder: 30% off all designs at Applique Cafe til Tuesday, July 12th! Have a great week! Please share your sewing room photos on our Facebook Page ~ I’d love to see them and be inspired! You can also follow me on Pinterest.

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Martha Stewart to the Rescue!

Posted by on July 4, 2011

We survived a week at the beach (pictures down below) and MOVING! We got back from the beach last Saturday and moved this past Wednesday in to our permanent new home! It was an exhausting week full of cleaning, 457 trips with my car looking like this (below) and more cleaning, and then actually moving on Wednesday. We’re still unpacking but for the most part we are “IN” and loving it! We did have movers move us, but also took many many trips with our cars full of whatever we could fit in to them! Don’t you love how the ironing board is just thrown on top? Did I mention we moved the last week of June in close-to-100 degree heat?

Here is my NON-dining room NEW SEWING ROOM (and the offices of Applique Cafe, i.e. Jeff, too). This was before:

This was after a little organization:

Better? I say BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have dreams of a fantastic colorful sewing room as seen on my Pinterest Sewing Room Board. I’m trying to gather ideas so that eventually the above can be something that you’d see on Pinterest and “re-pin”!!

One of my “wants” is a big bulletin board, so Sissy & I went to Hobby Lobby the other day and I found a couple that I liked (white and black frame). My room is white (all white), so I’m not sure if one of these would work, or if I should paint one, or make one?

THEN… the other day someone posted a link on Facebook to Home Decorators Connection and more importantly, Martha Stewart’s Craft Space Collection. It comes in all sorts of neat pieces suitable for a sewing room and also comes in 3 colors (white-ish, gray and this green). PLUS, this weekend they have $50 off your order of $150 or more. SO…. Jeff liked it so we ordered 3 pieces (separately so as to get $50 off each order). I am SO excited! All of the reviews I read were great so I will be sure to report when we get them (and put them together). Here are some of the pieces and how they’ve been put together for this craft room.

On one wall of our SEWING ROOM, we will have 1 of these in the middle:

And 2 of these ~ one for Jeff and one for me. There are other pieces I’d like, but we’re starting with these to make sure they will work in our room. I’m so excited! I can then work off of these and start making this room a place I want to come work in! p.s. I love green! I’ll keep you posted!

One evening at the beach I literally threw these clothes on my children and said “we’re going to take a few pictures”. I think we also bribed G with something. Had I planned ahead, forewarned them earlier that day, etc. they would have never turned out! I got several great ones and also took some of my nephews! I’m no photographer but I did take a digital class once in 2009 so I think these turned out pretty good for FREE!

This beautiful white sand is Seagrove Beach (FL) sand! Love it!

This was our 6th annual family trip to Seagrove and our 6th annual Shrimp Boil. We go every year with my whole family and we always have a wonderful time!

This pic makes me want to go back to the beach!!

I sampled 4 new designs today (zig zag squirrel, zig zag paw print, lion face & pumpkin trio) and we will get them posted ASAP. Designs are still 30% off through July 10th, and Patriotic are still 50% off. Check them all out at Applique Cafe. BTW, so far we’ve sold 106 Virginia’s Cross designs and 183 total Awareness Ribbon designs (50 since we sent our first check). Thanks for adding those to your collection!

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