a mystery solved!

My sewing room is in more disarray than normal today after a day of rearranging. Yesterday, my husband (who apparantly did not have enough projects going on already) decided to get to the bottom of a little mystery in our old house: "why don't the windows in the sewing room open?" To explain, the sewing room is actually an add-on to this old house and started out life 'round about 1873 as a wraparound porch. At some point long ago, the porch was expanded and enclosed and these strange windows, with the screens on the inside, were installed. With so many other things to work on in this house, the mystery of the wierd windows has been - up until yesterday - relegated to the back burner behind new roof, wiley squirrels, painting, invading kudzu, refinishing floors, lighting-challenged dining room, etc. I love this house. But sometimes I have a love/hate relationship with her. Last week on facebook, I posted about how we were putting crown moulding up and that NOTHING in the house is straight or level. The windows remind me why I love her :-)

I looked at the windows a couple of times and then moved on. They are beautifully shaped and pleasing to look at. Made well and very old. But there are other parts of the house that interest me more and, besides, I have suffered in this stuffy sewing room cursing whoever designed it for the last 8 years. Charlie, on the other hand, has been annoyed this whole time because he has not been able to figure these windows out. Until yesterday.

In the middle of moving a guest bed out of the sewing room (apologies to my sister for making her sleep in this room when she has come to visit - now ya'll get to share the girls' playroom upstairs!), Charlie decided to take another look at the windows. Inside, sanwiched between the screen and the window and hidden under years of peeled paint and Lord knows what, was a strange looking bent piece of metal. What the heck? Well, he pulled off the screen, took it out and also discovered that there are hand cranks on the windows!!! I cannot tell you how excited we were. The house and I are friends again :-)

Have a great day! michelle

we have a winner...well, two winners!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my first giveaway. I loved reading all of the comments and hearing about why you are thankful :-) My oldest, Abbigail, was selected to draw the name this morning, but the 'little one', Catie-Beth, doesn't take turns well and she decided to pick a name as well. SO, we have two lucky winners who will receive a custom garment. Melissa Johnson and Baseballtraveler. Please email me at mackandmae@gmail.com so we can get started on your creations!!!

Everyone who commented will receive 20% off during the month of November. If you are interested in a custom item, please email me. If you want to use your discount on the etsy store, please convo me before you pay so I can send you the correct invoice. Please check back often as the giveaway will be a monthly event!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am off now to mediate a dispute between my husband, a pellet gun, and some squirrels :-)

michelle

giving thanks, and a giveaway

Thanks to everyone who has commented, checked out the new blog and etsy store, gone to Textures, and patronized mack & mae. I am truly thankful. Terri Smith (http://www.terrismithphoto.com/) was gracious enough to sponsor a giveaway on her blog last month and we had such fun doing it, that I want to offer a monthly giveaway to my blog visitors. Very easy...just leave me a comment regarding the month's theme and at the end of the week, we will draw one lucky winner who will receive a custom garment. Many styles and fabrics to choose from. Retail value ranges from $30 to $50. What a deal. For your child, or you can give as a gift. Everyone else who enters will receive 20% off any order placed in November!

So, for November, the theme is Giving Thanks. Please leave me a comment on why you are thankful this holiday season. You have until midnight on Friday, November the 6th to enter. Good luck.

If you want to receive email announcements about mack & mae, specials, giveaways, etc., please drop me a line. You can send me an email at mackandmae@gmail.com with "email list" in the subject line and I will add you to my mailing list. As always, thank you for your support and for forwarding my links to your friends and family!!

Take care, michelle

happy hallow's eve / giveaway starts tomorrow

I hope that everyone has a safe and fun evening collecting treats. No tricks! My girls could hardly sleep last night, they are so excited about today's events!

Our first giveaway on this blog will start tomorrow! Please check back for the details!

michelle

beautiful day, great pumpkins, great photos

What a beautiful day it was Saturday in North Florida! Cool, but the sun was shining and the girls and I were able to take many photos. In the morning, we stopped at a local pumpkin patch to pick out two lucky fruits that are to be carved up this afternoon after school! Not sure how that will go, but am sure it will be messy and fun.

For our amateur photo shoot, we made it to a beautiful greenspace on the west side of Tallahasse near where I grew up and took a bunch of pictures while the girls ran and played and stomped in mud puddles. They are crazy! It was a good thing we had on the new rubber muck boots. Besides lots of dirt and mud, there were also treats left by horses and other furry friends. Yuck. But, our reward was good pictures that I can use on advertisement cards to leave at http://www.textureshandmademarket.com/ and better pictures for my listings in the Etsy shop http://www.mackandmae.etsy.com/ Yea! Abbigail is modeling a wrap dress (cut to tunic length) in a pretty fabric we have named "Woodland Berries." A non-mud-splashed version is listed on Esty, size 6 (or custom sizes available). Designed to be worn with tights, jeans, leggings, etc. I also make this style in a regular dress length as well as in a top.

Below, Catie-Beth is wearing an a-line jumper dress with a cute ruffle at the hem. Two buttons at each shoulder. Fabric is "At The Fair" and is adorable. Again, a non-played-in version is listed on Etsy, size 5T (or custom sizes).

Abbigail's boots, if you are interested in a pair for your little one, are from Walmart. Very durable, very cheap, and very very cute! Looked like the sizes ranged from toddler through adult. I want a pair. The tag on the shelf said "Dairy Boots." She thought that was funny.

Have a great week!

long weekend

So, my girls have a long weekend coming up since their school is taking Friday as a Teacher Planning Day. They are excited, but I am putting them to work. While perusing the aisles in a local shoe store this afternoon in search of something cute to go with a dress, my oldest spotted some very utilitarian rubber boots. She wants them to wear hunting with her daddy. This weekend, she will be modeling them with my dresses as I was smartly informed that muck boots are the perfect complement to dresses, and we would only need to buy one pair of shoes :-) I can't wait to see how the pictures turn out. Check back! Oh, and we have 2 winners from the www.terrismithphoto.com online giveaway. I am excited to see what they choose!!!

fall is here, hopefully! (and an online giveaway)

Hello! I think Fall is finally gracing us with her presence. I was out of town with my daughter this past weekend, and a trip to my favorite fabric store was full of cool weather, and inspiring new prints. I have a few new items posted on my Etsy store (see 'shop mack & mae' link at right) and will be adding items in the coming days as they are completed.

ONLINE GIVEAWAY - my new friend Terri Smith of Terri Smith Photo is graciously giving away one of my custom dresses to one lucky blog follower. If you are interested, please visit her website http://www.terrismithphoto.com/ and click on her blog. Scroll down to find her post on mack & mae and leave a comment. Her daughter will be drawing the name of one lucky winner this Wednesday, so hurry. Terri is a wonderfully talented photographer, so while you are there, please view examples of her work. I cannot wait until I can get her to photograph my two little ones.

Please remember that custom orders are always welcomed and I love working with you to make sure you get exactly what you want in exactly the right size. If you are looking for something for the holidays or for an upcoming shower or birthday, please be sure to give me at least a two-week advance notice to make sure I can get the item to you on time!


Thank you for visiting, bundle up, and have a great week :-) michelle

welcome friends!

Thank you for visiting my new blog. mack & mae is a new venture of mine that I have been working on since June of this year. I have been creating stylish, functional, and comfortable clothing for children utilizing my 30+ years of sewing experience and the insightful design input of my daughters. In Tallahassee, items are on display and available for purchase at Textures Handmade Market (please visit the link in the righthand column of this blog). I am also taking custom orders if you need a special size, etc. (pictured at right above is an a-line jumper in pink "mommy toile" with a cute ruffle at the bottom).

I really love vintage fabrics, so many of the dresses and sets you will see at Textures are either made from vintage or vintage-inspired materials and some of the styles are reminiscent of vintage children's wear as well. Besides clothing, I have also been selling flannel nap blankets as well as buggy blankets (which are smaller but heavier and great for outdoor use). Most items are done in very limited quantities, so you are sure to have a unique outfit for your child or as a very special gift.

If you are shopping for girls, I have cute a-line dresses with a ruffle sleeve/strap, a-line jumper dresses, shoulder tie dresses, wrap dresses, top and pant sets, and plain pants great for lounging about. Many of the girls' styles transition nicely into fall when worn over a blouse or turtleneck - if it would ever get cool here! (at right is a wrap top and ruffle pant set).

For the boys, I have very cute shorts and pants. Sorry fellas...I am working on new styles for boys.

coming soon!

Thank you for visiting. My blog will be up and running soon with lots of pictures and much more information about my hand-created children's clothing. Unique styles and fabrics for your little ones!

If you would like to see my handiwork, and you are in the Tallahassee area, please visit Textures Handmade Market on Thomasville Road in midtown (1123 Thomasville Road). And while you are there, have one of the wonderful cupcake creations at Lucy & Leo's Cupcakery.

If you have any questions or would like to place a custom order, I welcome your email: mackandmae@gmail.com

Thank you! michelle