Long time, no post...

The few days before and after Christmas are always a bit of a blur.  Finishing up that Christmas shopping and wrapping, doing the baking, then enjoying all those great new things you got, exchanging/returning things that aren't just right and finally getting back into your normal routine, which isn't really possible until after the new year anyway.  That week between Dec 25 and Jan 1 is a bit of a 'dead' week....I'm always just kinda waiting for the new year to start... 

Anyway, right now I should be working on my new tutu's for 2010, but I have been dealing with some back issues from a gym injury I sustained this past summer.  Long story short, for the past two weeks, I have been going in once a week for spinal epidurals (which translates to lots of big needles in the back).  Anyway, I am *praying* that this second one works and I can get back to my old routine, which is taking care of my family, working out and promoting my tutu business!!  I will keep you all posted and expect a new tutu within the next week!!! 

Happy Wednesday everybody :)....

tutu-mania has settled down...for now...

It was a great first holiday season of tutu making for me and I have enjoyed every second of it!  Well, not EVERY second....I tried printing a shipping label online last night and it would not work.  So ,I tried again and again and again, make that 10 times and it wouldn't take.  Well apparently it DID take as I got an email this morning with the details of my 10 transactions.  So now I have $67 in postage to the same house for 2 tutus!  LOL....Hopefully I can get that one resolved shortly!  Anyway, besides that little incident I have totally loved making the tutus for all those little princesses across the US and even Mexico and can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for tutu bug!! 

I am also looking forward to a little break (and I hope it is a very short, little one) from tutu making so that I can focus on the family over Christmas.  I don't know how, but all of that tulle that has invaded and multiplied in my spare bedroom!  We have now affectionately renamed the guest room to the tutu room.  I pity the next guest who has to sleep in there with all the tulle, ribbon and boxes everywhere!!  Hope they like pink :).

CONGRATS to Amie....

The winner to my first ever tutu bug tutu giveway was Amie of Michigan!  You can check out her blog here.  I really enjoyed doing this giveaway and meeting so many new people!  For those that didn't win, don't worry, I will be doing another giveaway in another month or two :).  I plan to make this a regular thing! 

As I mentioned earlier, I will be working on some new color combo's over Christmas break, including a super cute watermelon tutu (think pink and lime green!), as well as a sweet Valentine's Day tutu with lots of red, white and shimmery pink tulle.  I'll keep ya posted and let me know if you have any name suggestions for these two new tutus.

My Tutu's are Going International!

SO excited that I got my first International order today!  I have two precious tutus going to Mexico tomorrow! 

Tutu's for 2010...

Well, I am in the process of designing about 5-6 new tutu's for 2010.  I have some great ideas but would also love to hear what other's think would make a great looking tutu!  Anyone have any recommendations???

There's Still Time...

...to order that tutu for Christmas!  I will be accepting orders through Sunday, December 20th and will ship all on Monday, December 21st via Priority Mail so that you may receive that tutu by Christmas Eve! 

Give a Goat for Christmas!

It has been a crazy week and I can't believe that Christmas is in 11 days - Woo-hoo!!  I love Christmas- spending time with family, enjoying all those yummy dinners and desserts I don't usually get and actually trying to teach my boys that Christmas is not all about them!  Here are some ideas that we do or have done in the past to tame the gimme's in our boys that they so often get around Christmas:

-Have each child buy a gift for one of their siblings, parents and/or grandparents.
-Select an Angel Tree Child or Senior at your local JC Penney or Wal-Mart.
-Take baked goodies (call first) and your kids to your local senior center.  Most seniors love all the cuteness, commotion and energy that small children bring with them. 

And my personal favorite is this....
-Can't find the perfect gift for someone who has everything?  Buy a goat in their name!  There is a great organization called Food for the Hungry and you can buy goats, chickens, pigs, rabbits, water, bushes, even a whole business!  All of these items help families in 3rd world countries to become more self-sustainable.  Check out their full gift giving catalogue here: http://www.fh.org/give/catalog

There are so many ways that we can give and serve over the holiday's and I hope that everyone chooses something to do with their loved one's to focus on others during this holiday season!

Merry Christmas- It's time for a tutu GIVEAWAY!!

tutu bug and Pretty Hair is Fun to Do (http://shaunellshair.blogspot.com/) are working together to create a wonderful giveaway just in time for Christmas.  It starts today and ends on DECEMBER 18th! The tutu will be shipped out on Dec. 19th, just in time for Christmas.  You may enter the contest up to three times, see below for details... 

Here is an example of a tutu that you could win...This one is called Blue Raspberry. 

The winner of this contest will get to choose ANY tutu from http://www.tutubug.com/ in ANY size (from 0-6T) and it will be shipped on Saturday, December 19th so that it will arrive on time for the Holiday's.

To enter our giveaway you must complete the following items for both Shaunell's blog, Pretty Hair is Fun to Do (http://shaunellshair.blogspot.com/) AND for Melanie's blog, tutubugblog (http://tutubugblog.blogspot.com/).

For 1st entry, you must FIRST:

1.  Become a follower of BOTH blogs

http://www.tutubugblog.blogspot.com/

http://shaunellshair.blogspot.com/

2.  Leave a comment on each blog stating which TUTU and HAIRDO are your favorites.

For a 2nd entry:
1.  Send an email about this giveaway to a friend and cc: either girlzhair@gmail.com OR melanie@tutubug.com.

For 3rd entry:

1.  Post BOTH my button and Melanie's on your blog or website and add a post about our giveaway with a link to shaunellshair.blogspot.com.

We'd also love it if you joined the "Pretty Hair is Fun To Do" group on Facebook AND 'tutubug.com' group on Facebook :)...

The winner will be randomly chosen on Dec. 18th. We wish you the best of luck! Have fun and tell your friends!

Great Day for tutu bug

I was so happy to receive three orders today as well as two yesterday.  As I have started my business within the last month, my goal has been to sell 5 tutu's a week.  Last week I sold 5 and this week I have already reached 5 tutu's sold, so I am very excited that I am reaching my goals :)! 

Something else I am excited about is the fact that my first shipped order has arrived and my client was very happy with her custom tutu's!  Makes me feel like such a proud 'mama.'

Merry SITS-MAS!

MERRY SITS-MAS!

Check out Secret in the Sauce here !

tutu bug emerges despite a house full of Boys...

How did that happen? Here I am, making these super girly tutu's and I live with three 'boys'! My husband and I have two sons and I am making tutu's. We always wanted a girl, which obviously didn't happen, but I wouldn't trade those rough-and-tumble train and lego lovin' boys for anything! At times the sibling rivalry makes me want to rip my hair out (I was an only child, which makes the sibling rivalry thing a mystery...), but that's what makes creating tutu's so fun for me. I get to immerse myself in this world of pink and purple, tulle and fluff, fairy tales and princesses. It's fun, I enjoy it. I even get the boys' input, asking them, "Which is your favorite?" or "What color tutu do you think so and so would like for their birthday?" My four year old responds, "But mom, I'm a boy, I don't like tutu's, but I'd pick the blue one!" My eight year old rolls his eyes and says, "MOM?!?!....Uh, do you make one in camouflage?" It makes the boys step into my world for a bit and I think it's good for them to get exposure to a girls' perspective. I am so super thankful to my husband for being supportive, encouraging me, creating my website, giving me valuable feedback, and even helping with design ideas! So yes, I am the tutu maker who lives with boys, and I wouldn't trade it for the world!!


Here's our Christmas photo. Me with my three handsome guys!!

Thanks, Judy!

I received another order for Cranberry Baby this weekend. Here is the finished product:

The Craft Show that Went Bust....

The Top 10 Things I Learned from My First Two Boutiques:

10-Make friends with the gal at the table to your left and/or right. They will be your best friend when that Pumpklin Spiced Latte Grande kicks in and you have to PEE!! Someone has to watch your table for you :).

9-Just because you sign up, pay your registration fee for your booth AND contact the organizer via phone and email 7 times before the event, this does NOT mean that they will actually have a spot reserved for your booth at the actual Boutique!

8-If your spot at the Boutique was never 'reserved', the options of where to put your booth are limited to right next to the trash can or the dumpsters out behind the kitchen!

7-If you want to lose weight, do craft fairs. With set-up, a four hour fair, then tear down, with no real appropriate time to snack, I guarantee you'll be at a caloric deficit by the end of the show.

6-When someone is checking out your product, be friendly, smile, make light conversation and always offer up a business card.

5-Repeat step 6. Again. And again. And again. And again. And one more time...

4-Rejoice in your 1 (and only) sale of the day. Woohoo, I think I made $1.23/hr today!! Oh wait, make that -$1.23/hr, I lost money from the fee of the event!

3-Don't just rely on the organizers to advertise for you. Use your own sources, such as your blog, Facebook, Twitter, CL, your website, etc, etc. You never know, they might not have time to advertise like they said they would!

2-Rain ruins your prospects of a successful show AND it kinda ruins the tutu's too!

And finally...

1-Never, ever get discouraged. If you believe in your product, the sales will come, just have a little patience!!!

Christmas Craft Boutique this Saturday (Dec 5th)

Hello All!! For those of you in the Phoenix area, I will be showing off my tutu's at The Grove Christmas Boutique from 10a-2p this Saturday December 5th. I will have over 30 tutu's for sale at this event. There will be tons of vendors, FREE giveaways, etc, etc. so come check it out! The Grove is located on Gilbert Rd. between Germann and Queen Creek (just south of the San Tan 202).

Kids Artwork Display Idea

Is your fridge covered in your kiddos beautiful artwork? Want a better place to display it? Check out this easy and affordable solution:

Directions:
Take a length of thin rope and tie a knot at each end. Push a thumbtack through the knots into the wall. Use clothespins to hold up your child's artwork. Each of my boys have their artwork on display in their rooms and they love it! Once it gets full, they have to decide what they will take off in order to hang up their new stuff! I spent about $5 in supplies and this could make MANY artwork display's :)!

I just got a custom order last night for some bright tutu's! This gal wanted something bold for her two granddaughters and we came up with one fushcia tutu with a turquoise bow and one turquoise tutu with a fushcia bow. Too cute!

Need a Photo Resizing Tool?

OK, I have to admit, I am a bargain hunter. We just got a nice digital SLR (early Christmas present) but it takes very large photos-like 1500kb!! So, I was SOO happy to find this online FREE photo resizing tool for my website. Check it out, it is http://www.webresizer.com/ . I use it weekly and have had nothing but great success with this program. And best of all, you can't beat free!!!

Cyber Monday SALE!!!

Please check out my website for my Cyber Monday sale!! All tutu's are 20% off PLUS free shipping (as always). Sale is good for 2 days, Monday and Tuesday, 11/30-12/01.

www.tutubug.com

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I found this great recipe for some pumpkin cheesecake and it was a hit this Thanksgiving. I would recommend making it 1-2 days ahead of time, as it tastes better after it 'sits' for a day or two!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Yields: 8 Servings

1-9" prepared graham cracker crust* (see recipe for the crust below)

2-8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 pinch cloves

1 pinch nutmeg

whipped cream and caramel for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carfully spread over the batter in the crust.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 min, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnite.

5. Drizzle with caramel and top with whipped cream before serving.

*Graham Cracker Crust*

1 1/2 c. finely ground graham cracker crumbs (should be about 1 sleeve of grahamc crackers. Just place in ziploc baggie and crush with rolling pin)

1/3 c. white sugar

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional, but worth it!)

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter and cinnamon until well blended. Press mixture into 8 or 9" pie plate or springform pan.

2. Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 minutes. Cool. If recipe calls for unbaked pie shell, just chill for 1 hour.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel and Whipped Cream (I used a 9" springform pan, next time I will use an 8" so it'll be thicker)...

Black Friday

Well, I was spared Black Friday shopping, but my hubby, Scott, was out ALL night! He left the house about 10:30p.m. on Thanksgiving and went to stand in line at Old Navy for a free copy (with $20 purchase) of Lego Rockband. They didn't even open till 3 a.m., but he was there with a buddy and they seemed to have a great time. After Old Navy, it was off to Wal-Mart to get Rockband (we don't have the drums, mic, etc). He came home around 5:20 a.m., showered, had breakfast, then went back out to get a game at Game Stop and then off to work at 7:30 a.m.! Poor guy was up for over 30 hours! He came home midday and slept till 4:30 last night. Pretty comical! Next year we will be up and at 'em early for a new flat panel tv. It wasn't in the budget this year, but will be next time!

My first orders...

Well, I had two orders this week-yay! One is from a neigbor who wants a Christmas tutu for a friend's daughter. It will look like this tutu, but have red instead of burgundy:

The second tutu is for my son's preschool teacher. Her daughter is going to a friend's birthday party in a few weeks and they picked out this tutu:

Just registered with Etsy

I just registered on Etsy with my own store. For those of you who aren't familiar with Etsy, it is a wonderful online 'marketplace' for those who handcraft their own items that they wish to sell to others around the world! This works perfect for me, since all my tutu's are made from scratch. Check out the site, you will find LOTS of items from wonderful artists all around the world. My etsy address is http://www.tutubug.etsy.com/ . It has all the tutu's on there that my website does...

Website Issues

Well, we have been having some website issues, such as not being able to contact us, place orders, etc. We have been working on the issue since Friday and I believe that everything is now up and running smoothly!

First Photo Shoot

I had a wonderful time at my first tutu bug photo shoot today! My dear friend was nice enough to allow her two daughters to model for me for about an hour while I took 400, YES 400, shots of her girls :). They did a wonderful job and were both very excited to get 'paid' with a tutu of their choice at the end of the photo shoot. They had a great time and I can't wait to photograph them more as I expand my line in 2010! Here are some shots we took today...

My models, which are two beautiful sisters, ages 4 and 3...

Modeling Sassy Pink and Blue Raspberry...

Modeling Lemon Burst...

Photo Shoot cont.

Pink and Purple Swirl...

Pink and Blue Bubble Gum...

Purple Pizzazz...

Black Cherry and Cranberry Baby...

Holiday 2009 Tutu Offerings...

Here are my two Holiday tutu's that tutubug.com will be offering for the 2009 season.

Black Cherry:

Cranberry Baby:

They turned out so cute! Although next year I will be incorporating some cream and red into the tutu's for sure! Both tutu's will look super cute with a black top, tights and shoes :)...

First craft show today

Well, I had my first craft show today. Unfortunately we got rained on so all of the vendors had to pack up and head home early. Due to the weather, there was a very poor turnout, but those who did come, seemed to love the tutu's :). Here's a pic of me with my tutu's before the weather got nasty...

Check out all those tutu's!

The sky looks blue, but that didn't last for long!