my incredible day -- thanks to an angel

Aaron, I miss you every day and will love you always. Thank you for everything you gave me, the memories, the laughs, and the happiness in my life. I know you're up there pulling some strings for me.

Today started out great and continued from there. It wasn't until tonight that I realized it was you. It was my angel in heaven sharing his happy birthday with me. Happy Birthday Aaron. I wish you could be here to enjoy it. I'll have a drink for you soon. Jaeger and red bull... couldn't you have liked something better?? j/k Only for you...

I woke up this morning to a text message: "You won you won!" from my BFF. A handbag company was doing a contest on Facebook and I put my guess for the country with their 19th largest fanbase on FB. Wouldn't you know that a guess (albeit somewhat calculated) of "Malaysia" would get me a Harvey's seatbelt bag minnie?? Yay me!

Then I did some creating: a tutu dress and matching tulle flower clip for a precious baby girl and a similar clip for her "stellar" big cousin. They came out exactly as I'd hoped.

Then off to the mall to prep for a Tori Spelling book signing. For those that don' t know, Tori chose my daughter as one of her twitter winners to be a model for Little Maven last year. If you watch her show, you know Tori was incredibly ill that day and we only got a chance to meet her as she was heading home for the day. Today was all about getting a pic of my daughter with Tori since we couldn't get one that day. I'd made a hair clip for Stella after Tori mentioned that clips didn't really stay in Stella's then-short hair. In the rush, I forgot to give it to her. Of course I've known where that clip was until today when I needed it, so Stella got a new creation instead.

My 2.5 year old napped on the way there, woke to ride the carousel and eat lunch and was such a good girl while waiting hours for the signing to start. As we got to the front of the line, I was moving my stroller off to the side and shouted my daughter's name to come back as she was dancing around. From behind me, I hear Scout (one of Tori's best friends) say "I know ____" and Tori comes out from behind the table to give me and my daughter hugs. It felt so good to be remembered out of the thousands and thousands of people they meet. We got some great pics too!! I'll post them soon.

So Aaron, if you can read this, thank you. Happy Birthday!

TONS of new stuff!!!!

It has been VERY busy at the castle lately. Robert is done with the "classroom" years of pharmacy, we're prepping for my nephew's wedding and Robert's Alaska rotation, and Aerowyn's Castle is a sponsor/vendor at this year's Eastvale Picnic in the Park. It's a huge 3-day carnival in my local area (walking distance, yay!). It's got rides, food vendors, performances, retail vendors, and a GREAT fireworks show. I'm busy working every day trying to get enough merchandise ready to fill my booth for the thousands of potential customers I'll be meeting. Ohh, that number was just a reality check... need to order more business cards. And here I thought 1000 would be a good starting number. So, here are some of the items I've made recently:

Introducing: Memo Board / Bow Holders!!!

I'm just getting started with these, so more pics will be coming soon!

Styles: frameless, framed, tutu, ribbons angled or straight, with or without foam to use push pins

Taking custom orders for colors/themes while I build my inventory.

Here is an example of a designer-framed board with angled ribbons:

Introducing the all-new reversible lattice tutu!!

After trying several different techniques for making reversible tutus, I believe I have created my winning design. Lattice knotwork keeps each color on it's own side instead of allowing them to blend.

Here is my first new reversible tutu:

"Mocha Sky" -- $30

New Creations!!

A few new designs!!!

"Purplicious"

This tutu was made by blending 4 beautiful shades of purple (grape, deep purple, lavender, and purple) to create a flowing purple paradise.

"Patriotic"

Get ready for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, or any other occasion. Great for a July birthday too!


"Parisian"

Made of black, white, and paris pink tulle, this is perfect for your little girl. Put on a cute hanger and use as part of your room decor when she's not wearing it!

It's TUTU WEEK!!

I have ordered every color of tulle my vendor carries! Now is the time to get your orders in without having to wait on a tulle shipment. I've dedicated this week to creating as many tutus as I can fit into my free time. Here are a few of my creations so far:

The "Shamrock" -- $25

This tutu is made from kelly, light pink, and white tulle and was made to match the custom appliqued tee ($20) and the hairbow ($8). These outfits can be custom designed for any occasion. Perfect for birthdays, holidays, sports teams, princess parties, etc. Message me your ideas and we'll design the perfect outfit.

The "Ballet" -- $30

This tutu is made from light pink, white, and black tulle. Finished with light pink satin ribbon at the waist and a pink/white/black ballet slipper bow. Add a matching hair bow for $8.

The "Easter Egg" -- $25

Made from grape, soft blue, paris pink, and maize tulle, this tutu was made to match an Easter egg hair bow and custom tee (coming soon)

Order an Easter tutu and get a free pair of bunny ears!! Custom order any color combo up to 4 colors.

Just a reminder, but 20% of all purchases through the end of March are going to support the family of Layla Grace.

For Layla Grace

Layla Grace
11/27/07 - 3/9/10
http://laylagrace.org/

For those who haven't heard, a beautiful little girl, 2 year old Layla Grace, went to play with the angels yesterday. She was a month older than my little girl. The thought of losing her makes my throat tighten and the room spin as the tears begin to flow. I can't even imagine what her family is going through. What I do know is that their family is left with a mountain of medical bills. It should be happy things that bring reminders of their little girl, not a stack of paperwork.

Aerowyn's Castle already has a tutu sale (20% off) going through 5pm on 3/12. To help Layla's family, this is what I'm going to do:

Now through 3/12: Tutu sale remains at 20% off. For all other purchases (not including shipping), 20% will go to Layla's family for medical expenses. If you'd like, you can forfeit the discount on your tutu purchases and donate it to Layla's family.

3/13-3/31: 20% of all purchases (not including shipping) will go to Layla's family for medical expenses. I will personally match the 20% donation up to $200.

To see some of the available items, visit http://tinyurl.com/y9p55ly. I have over 40 colors of tulle and love custom design work. Send me your ideas and we'll create something just for you.