news

 this has been a roller coaster of a year for me.  many more ups than downs and amazing in so many ways.  I'm so thankful for all that has resulted from the changes.  highlights, you say? here we go...

* gained 34 pounds

* became solely self employed
* kept my etsy shop alive and kicking for over a year

* went 8 months with no alcohol

* bought my first new car

* made it through a year of marriage

* weighed 7 pounds less than my husband...

* lost 25 pounds

* had a baby!

thanks to all of you who read this blog and support all that is oatmeal lace.  it's been an incredible journey. can't wait to see what the next year brings. xoxo

  would you be interested in a reversible clutch, for a slightly higher price?

as most of you know, I'm a sucker for seersucker (haha) and was so excited when Heather, one of the brides I worked with, sent me over a couple of photos from her wedding day.  LOVE the blue and white seersucker paired with the yellow dresses. thank you so much for sharing, Heather! you look beautiful and so do your 'maids!

[photography by Kristie Rae Images}

we bought the dresser from IKEA to use for storage and to serve as mr. man's changing table.  I wrote about our experience of putting that beast together here.  the mobile above the dresser was one that I decided to make myself after coveting similar ones on etsy.  

the pillow cover was made from leftover fabric that I used on his crib bumpers.  the quilt hanging over the chair was a surprise gift from my sister and mom.  without my knowledge, my sister got in touch with Joey and had him send her a few t-shirts and jerseys from his college soccer days and had my mom send her shirts from my high school crew days (I was too busy partying studying in college to continue sports).  she then made the best t-shirt quilt for beckett when my mom was out visiting her this summer.  I have to add that this was her first venture into quilting and it turned out amazing. love you stoopid!

 love this lamp that I found at homegoods almost as much as I love homegoods. seriously, I have an unhealthy obsession with the store. I may or may not go there and buy things just so I have a reason to 'return' them and go again. (cue my husband rolling his eyes at me)

this picture was taken by me and I had to share so I could show off the shelves that my parents made for beckett's wall.  there are three on each side of the windows and showcase all of the books that we've started accumulating for him.  

my favorite little man.

my favorite big girl, and first child. this is now her favorite place in the house to hang out...preferably sans crying baby. the rug I found for a steal on overstock.com.
and I couldn't leave out my sweet big boy. this was as close to being in the nursery as he would go. silly, silly moose. 

if I were to hire a sales force for Oatmeal Lace, at the top of my list would be my husband. and that's not in a cheesy 'I love him so much' way (although I do). he is constantly promoting my work to colleagues, friends, etc. and while I tend to downplay what I do when people ask, he speaks up, gives me props and always mentions how proud he is of me. I can't tell you how awesome it is to have that kind of support. I can only hope that he knows just how much I appreciate him and all he does to take care of our family.  plus, he gave me my greatest creation ever.  (hint: he's holding him in the photo) :)

beckett, maggie, moose and I love you very much and hope you have the best day ever!!

xoxo

in honor of tomorrow's big, big, HUGE game I had to do a post about the limited edition Florida State clutch I am going to be featuring in the shop for the next month. chevron stripes rule (but don't tell my husband) and in the midst of the whole missoni craze at target it felt like the right time to debut this little lady.  I'm seriously sad that I won't be in Tallahassee this weekend for the game, it is my hometown and we'd have babysitters more than willing to watch Beckett.  BUT...I will be pairing this clutch with my fancy cocktail attire while at the Big Brothers Big Sisters gala here in Tampa.  do I care that it doesn't match? no way, jose! it's my way of being there in spirit. GO NOLES!!!

it's been quite a while since my last post and I hope you'll all excuse the absence.  i've been enjoying getting to know my little man, and aside from checking email and facebook sporadically I haven't spent too much time online.  he turned a month old yesterday (cannot believe it!!) and I'm slowly but surely trying to get back into a routine of work without staring at his sweet face all day long.... man, it is hard! don't worry- this won't be turning into a baby blog, but I hope you don't mind if pictures of him show up every once in awhile...I'll strategically place him in photos with Oatmeal Lace products so you're getting two for one. sound good? ok! so today I've included a photo I took for his one month birthday. I'll be using the pillow (which I made for his nursery) for growth comparisons each month and probably also take one of him on different fabrics I want to highlight just for fun. hope you all are doing great and it's good to be back! xo

short and sweet for today. hug your loved ones. life is unpredictable.

so it's almost time for our little man to show up which means I have to seriously face the fact that I am going to be taking time off from making bags.  I've been organizing like mad on the back end and laying down the groundwork to keep my shop going while I take 4 weeks off from constructing anything. did you hear me- anything!!!  just saying that gives me so much anxiety.  I cannot remember a day since I've started the business where I haven't done something related to oatmeal lace.  it's been my baby and seeing how far it's come this past year is just mindblowing to me.  I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people I've worked with and the support of my family and friends.  I can't wait to see what the future is going to bring, both personally and professionally.  baby p is certain to inspire me to branch out in new directions and hopefully (crossing fingers and toes here) will be lulled to sleep by the sound of the sewing machine so I can create all sorts of fun new items to share with you. :) I'll try to do a post or two after his arrival so you can see his cute little face and finally share his finished nursery. hope you all have a fabulous weekend and again, thanks for following along with me.

**sidenote: my mom totally called it on the dress being a little 'revealing' in the front. I didn't think it was an issue until I had to lean over to grab something...several times...whoops. mom's are always right, right? :) love you mama!!!