Reading and Our Little Ones

Raising three children and teaching little ones over the years, has made me realize just how important reading to our children really is. Reading can take your child on a magical trip and open their imagination like nothing else. Having a special person read to them makes it even more magical!

Since the start of my online store, The Polka Dot Monkeys, I have been seeking a nice line of storybooks that are personalized and available in soft cover as well as hardcover. That way those that wanted a great storybook, but did not want to pay the hardcover price, could still have a quality storybook. Well, I am so happy that I have found some great storybooks! Some are already on my site and the others will be online this next week.

The storybooks that are on the site now,  involve your child in the storybook mentioning their name throughout and sometimes incorporating family and friends. Each of these books, stimulate your child's cognitive skills on many levels without you realizing it. Reading to children awakens their cognitive skills; such as contextual memory,  auditory and visual short term memory, working memory, divided attention, shifting,  spatial and visual perception, long term memory and focusing to mention a few. I am happy to offer these books $19.95 for soft cover (sold for $23.95 on some sites) and $34.95 for hardcover. You can order now and have in plenty of time for Christmas. Turnaround time is about 3 days, then 3-5 days to ship.

"Hiphop Howie" for instance, is a personalized rhyme book where your child is the main character in the story filled with rhymes and good times. Before reading this book, talk to your child about rhyming words. Run through a list of them that are found in the book, then when Howie is asked what rhymes with a certain word, they can stimulate their memory and recall some of the rhyming words. I love this book because it actually has a page that has a list of rhyming words across the top of the pages, great for visual and auditory memory. As you read the rhyming words, point to them so your child can see the words as they hear you read them.

 "A Great Big Heart" is a personalized book about a child wants to demonstrate love to ones that are close to them. Showing love can come in many different forms, from drawing pictures to sharing experiences. This book walks your child through all the wonderful things that you can do to make someone feel good. By having your child recall things that have made them feel good and think up ways to make others feel good, you are stimulating all sorts of skills; recall, long and short term memory, divided attention, shifting and response time to name just a few!

This is one of my favorites! "Goes to the Aquarium" explores the underwater world full of aquatic animals and filled with the child's name written on rocks, fish, sand, bubbles and much more. Not only does this wake up the visual perception and scanning, but also spacial perception. Wake up their contextual memory by asking them to remember different places they have seen some of the creatures, or where they have played in the sand! The possibilities are endless with these books. So get to it and start reading to your little ones!

Visit www.thepolkadotmonkeys.com and follow the links, Baby & Child then Storybooks!

Holidays Are Right Around The Corner!

It is really hard to believe that we are approaching the end of October! Where has the time gone? I scaled back my shows this year and only have three planned for the first two weeks of November and believe me, that will be plenty with all the custom work I am doing.

Note to all my customers: if you can think ahead, now is the time to order custom items, like things with monograms! The closer we get to mid November the harder it is to get things back in time for Christmas. We lose almost a week in November with Thanksgiving.

I am thinking about revamping my site, but will not do until sometime next year. Having about twelve items in line right now for monogramming with more coming, business to business luncheons and all my new "boutique designs"  I am making for the upcoming shows, must not be enough.....so now my mind is racing on how to change things up! Crazy yes, because everything seems to be running just fine right now, even with all the changes Google has made, and I am now thinking about changing it up???? STOP! I think I am leaving things just as they are for a while. It has taken me two years to get quality vendors I like and things have been running smoothly with great reports from Google. Now is good!

I am however, asking friends on Facebook to help with some creative ideas for welcoming customers during the holidays. If you have any ideas, please leave them hear! I look forward to new creative thinking!

New Boutique Items Coming to The Polka Dot Monkeys!

I am so excited to release my new designs for "beaucoup baby and kids". It all started with a few customers requesting "cute" diaper covers that did not have Velcro and were not plastic. I started gathering fabrics and designing hip, chic and stylish diaper covers. For baby girls I am going to offer plain diaper covers as well as diaper covers with ruffles. I have tried to make them very bright and colorful for fall. I am using baby whale corduroy as well as quality cotton fabrics. Plain diaper covers will be offered for both sexes and I also have some very high quality flannel that is so soft and snuggly for itty bitty babies. Not only will these look great with onesies that you can add appliques to match, but also with the kimono side snap tops for newborns/3months. My kimono tops are not just any top! They will be coordinated with the diaper covers with more ruffles for baby girls and ribbons for boys that will coordinate with their diaper covers. The boy's pricing will include monogramming. While I really try to keep my pricing down, it is difficult because I do use quality fabrics and ruffles require more fabric.

Not only am I introducing the diaper covers, but also "Boho Ruffled Pants" for baby and toddler girls! The fabric combinations are beautiful! I am so very happy with my choices. Sizing will start at 6 months - 5T.  they will look great in photo shoots! I have found a very soft long sleeve tee that has slight ruffle stitching on the sleeves and along the bottom that will have coordinating fabric applique of your child's initial to match that can be purchased separately. Monogramming over the applique will be an extra charge. Fabric quantities are limited for this grouping, so hurry and choose your "Boho Ruffled Pants" before they are gone! I will offer new groupings as needed.

Diaper covers, boho ruffled pants, kimono tops and now, jackets for baby and  toddler girls! I am making an adorable ruffled bolero jacket with short sleeves for our Southern weather. I will offer it in baby whale corduroy, velvet and a faux zebra. The outer jacket and ruffles will be made of the same fabric and the jacket will be lined with a colorful fanciful fabric and a button closure. Sizing 12 months to 5T.

Also new to my line is a very chic Kimono Jacket that will be lined with a coordinating fabric. This, too is perfect for our Southern weather. Fabrics will include velvet, corduroy and other heavy weight cotton fabrics. Right now, most any color baby whale corduroy and a faux zebra are available. If you would something else, please feel free to contact me.

Click on the "beaucoup baby & kids" page above and see the full line with fabric swatches as well as pricing. call or shoot me an email to order.

God Bless America

While I have been busy all weekend getting orders out the door, I could not help but stop and listen today in absolute disbelief again, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I, as many people, are so guilty of moving through my days taking things for granted. I actually hate the fact that I need to be reminded just how precious all things are after reflecting on the horrific actions the evil persons took on such a gorgeous September morning in 2001. We walk through life sometimes thinking nothing about the ones that have gone before us, the ones that gave their lives so very bravely. We must never forget!
So listen to the stories about life moving forward, while never forgetting that horrific day, the images burned into our memories forever. Hold your loved ones close to your heart, cherish your time on this earth, and try to make a difference tomorrow and the day after that and so on. May we all move forward and never forget the ones that gave their lives on 9/11. God Bless them and God Bless America. AMEN

Show Thursday, September 15th -Fort Bend Friends & Neighbors Girlfriends Gala 2011

I cannot wait to see Fort Bend County residents at the Girlfriends & Neighbors Gala which is dedicated to celebrating women, sisterhood and all things that are girly!  Right up my alley!

The Safari Texas Ranch, The Magnolia Room 10-2pm ~ Thursday, September 15th, 2011.

This organization is a social group of women that network and are involved in their community! How great! Visit  Fort Bend Friends and Neighbors Website  and read all about about their philosophy, I am going to quote some of it here:
"Fort Bend Friends & Neighbors is a social and philanthropic organization open to all Fort Bend County women residents. Many new and long-time residents of Fort Bend County have made lasting friendships through membership and activities in the Club.
FBFN is an ideal place for newcomers to the area to become familiar with our county and what it has to offer, as well as, have fun while making new friends along the way. If you are a current resident of Fort Bend County, Fort Bend Friends and Neighbors is a wonderful place to socialize and/or become involved in your community through its’ philanthropic activities.
FBFN was organized exclusively for social, education, and charitable activities. Our objectives are:

• to provide an opportunity for members to become acquainted with others in the community and/or neighborhoods;
• to provide an atmosphere of friendliness, goodwill and helpful information for Club members in the local community;
• to undertake and promote charitable and humanitarian projects within the community; and to form enduring friendships."

How great to have an organization celebrating women and sisterhood!

Don't be Afraid of Colors and Patterns!

Did you know that Sir Issac Newton developed the first circular color wheel in 1666? The color wheel is based on three colors known as primary colors; red, yellow and blue. These three colors cannot be mixed or formed by any combinations of other colors. By mixing these colors we can form secondary colors; orange, green and purple and by mixing secondary colors we  form  tertiary colors; yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green. The color wheels used today have primary colors positioned equidistant from one another and bridge the secondary and tertiary colors. The colors opposite each other on the wheel are complimentary colors, monochromatic colors are variations of the same hue and analogous colors are located adjacent to one another.

It is the harmony of these colors that make things pleasing to the eye and it is the interaction between these colors that makes a piece interesting. Warm colors, such as red, orange and yellow are known as active colors and cool colors such as, blue, purple and green are known as passive colors. 

When I make appliques for my clothing line "beaucoup baby & kids" I try to use a combination of warm and cool to make my pieces interesting and pleasing to the eye.  Everywhere I go I always have my eyes open for new and interesting colors with different patterns . I have only purchased the same fabric once, believe it or not! (http://www.worqx.com/color/color_wheel.htm)

Right now the fabric area of my workroom looks pretty good. I have organized it and have everything neatly folded and visible for my picking and choosing, but it will not stay like this. As I start designing, I start pulling out coordinating fabric and it is a mess. I do not stop and put things back or try to keep organized while I am designing because I loose my designing edge.

 

Below I am posting pictures of coordinating fabrics I would use for appliqueing so you can see the different fabrics and patterns that I mix and match to get a design that is pleasing and interesting to the eye. I love to add a little something that is unexpected. Stay with me, and I think you will agree, do not be afraid to mix it up a little!

 I love this grouping! Starting on the left with a green and blue stripe that folds into blooms, with a pop of white in the flower/paisley print. Notice, I then bring in a stripe introducing oranges and reds, with another stripe that has a pattern interest. Moving on and pop-ping with colorful dots and blooms with a vivid hot pink back-ground, this really adds a punch of color. Who would have thought all from a little green and blue striped piece of fabric?

These fabrics coordinate beautifully. The very pale green lattice fabric on the left, my anchor fabric and tends to be more neutral in this group. This folds into a patterned stripe that has a hint of brown (another neutral), pink, and blue. Then wow, a bold fabric  with shades of  pink, orange, green and an anchor color of white. Notice how I bring in a fabric with a blue background to compliment the patterned stripe.

My best example of slipping neutrals in with bold fabrics. The polka dot fabric on the left grabs your eye as well as the argyle in an unexpected way. Look at how well the brown and blue paisley blends and is also unexpected. The bold dots and argyle along with the paisley bubble into the grayish fabric filled with dots. It works-sneaking the grays in with bold colors.

Easy picks red, white and blue! But would you choose the star pattern to the right? Probably not! Now notice the subtle green checked fabric, look  how well it goes with the red and blue, surprising, isn't it? Little unexpected things make a piece interesting.

Again, no brainer....black, white and red! But would you dare add hounds tooth or a hexagon pattern with skull pirates? I do not think so.....a preppy pirate,  arrrrrggghhh!

This group looks simple, but most of my customers will tell me to exclude the fabric on the far right.....why I say? They feel it has too much blue. No, it does not! The monkey fabric blends beautifully with the soft green and brown polka dot while spicing it up a little with the red and other polka dots. The fabric with the brown and blue polka dots draws the eye and that is what you want to do when you applique.

Love this cute group....the puppy fabric has a flowered puppy and a polka dot one, now add a sassy hot pink zebra and wow! Who would have thought? Notice how the zebra and puppy fabric is drawn to the black geometric looking fabric with punches of color. Add a few dots and stripes 

then wow it with strong bright florals. See how the floral back-grounds seem to be reversed-they are not the same fabric, but give you that same impression. Interesting, that is what I want!

Anchor fabric, cats and dogs, boys fabric on the left-girls on the right. I apologized for not adding a stripe and some gingham for the boys, but look at how well these colors go together giving you bright colors and interest. The bone fabric causes a double look and that is what I look for! Again, hot pink zebra with cats and dogs....push the envelope! The geometric fabric adds interest and  folds into a diamond fabric and the polka dots add pizazz. Notice the pink and green that is re-peated as well as black and white.

Have fun and allow yourself to play with colors and fabrics. Primary colors mixed with secondary and tertiary colors tie your piece together. Adding a complimentary color adds interest along with your pattern choices! Have fun and create!

Custom beaucoup baby & kids is here!

The past week I have been adding a new department to my website called "Custom beaucoup baby & kids".  It has taken me a couple of years to find vendors that I can rely upon and offer quality products to offer my customers. This is not an easy thing to do in the world of  "blanks"; there are a lot of companies out there offering shoddy goods and not always offering the range of colors I like to work with.
In this custom area, customers may choose the "blank" piece of clothing they would like to have appliqued and/or monogrammed and it is already priced. They have the option in the special notes area to tell me the theme and colors they would like for the piece or if they are not comfortable with making a decision, there is an easy link to email me and I will get right back to them with ideas.
I really think that this is a great idea, my customers can choose the item they want, in their price range and check out without having to stress about how much it could possibly cost. They know they will get an applique and embroidery for the price I have listed and if they would like to add an additional applique or ruffles there is an area that can be checked for a minimal price, an upgrade of sorts.
Happy shopping everyone! I am very excited about this fall/winter season!

Texas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend - August 19-21st

Well, it is that time again, Sales Tax Holiday for Texans. While I love the business it generates, I have to go in and set up all my merchandise that is exempt for no sales tax. This year I am also offering a 10% discount at checkout with code FB811. ! I have all the mint(r) products which includes colorful, cute backpacks, lunch and snack boxes that all coordinate. At The Polka Dot Monkeys you can make an ordinary backpack, lunch box or tee have pizazz and unique with monogramming, just like your little one!
So customers, stay home, shop 'till you fall out of your chair, have fun, be safe and find the cutest items to send your little ones back to school in style! Remember I am open 24 hours a day.....just in case you can't sleep, you can use your time wisely, while saving money! LOL

35 Years of Marriage

If you ask me if I am an expert on marriage, I would have to say YES! My husband, Bubba and I, have been married for 35 years as of Sunday, August 14th. I have to say, I think that I have the best of this partnership.
Bub and I met when we were very, very young because our parents were friends. Twenty some odd years later, we looked at each other and wondered where the other one had been for all the years. It has been pretty much like that ever since.
While our marriage has not always been a bed of roses, and we have struggled with outside forces, what we are made of is what keeps us together. With marriages being so expendable these days, I do not think that many of marriages are built on "forever", I mean really "forever"!
The most important aspects of a marriage are: First and foremost, if you truly love one another you treat each other with respect; in private and in public! Second, you realize that you fell in love with nothing....so do not allow any outside forces to divide you. Third, never go to bed mad! There is so much truth in this, if you go to bed mad you will wake up mad and resentful. Fourth, and I think the most important, do not marry someone you have not been introduced to ( I mean really introduced to). When I say this, I mean, really know the person you are about to spend the rest of your life with. Fifth, if you have children, always remember that the two of you existed before children....the children exist because of the love the two of you have and that is the only reason they exist. Remember the two of you were united first, if you keep this front and foremost, everything else will fall into place.
While Bub and I had known of each other for years, we really did not get to know each other until we had been counseled by our Priest for many months. He made certain that we knew what we were getting into and made sure we knew each others thoughts, wishes, dreams and yes, disappointments. If something happens to one, it affects the other, no matter what you think! Too many marriages, with couples being raised in homes too busy for church or the guidance of elders, have no idea about commitment and perseverance. Our society has created a society of no commitment! Or, if it gets hard...just move on! For this I am very thankful, because of our commitment to one another, and our respect for each other, we have been able to grow old together with all its ups and downs. It is sad, but they just do not make marriages like Bub and I have much anymore. I pray Bub and I have raised our sons to understand this commitment. In order to be happy, you have to be happy with yourself, in order to be happy with yourself you have to be able to sacrifice for others and do it with no resentment or regrets ~ unselfish love is what it boils down to....but not one sided, it has to be both parties participating in this thing call marriage all of the time 24/7.

Selecting Vendors & Persistence

Sincerely, I have been so very blessed when it comes to choosing vendors. When I started up, there were quite a few vendors I wanted to do business with that did not deal with "trunk shows". I started out with trunk shows, in case you did not know, and they were all saying "no"!  My persistence paid off! I was allowed to travel with PSA essentials and mint(r). These were both "big market" vendors. I now carry lines that I could not of imagined when I first started out.
I really have a hard time being told no, I guess. I really do not see the resistance in trying to get the name out there if you are a worthy company representing these companies. My confidence has led me to keep asking new vendors if I can carry their goods and because of my persistence, I now have Clairebella, Lake House, Jane Basch, Emily & Ashley, just to name a few! I have come a long way in two years I feel. Now that I have the vendors, I want to sell and I need to move forward quickly on promoting The Polka Dot Monkeys. Now you will join me trying to find my way in this dog eat dog world of "promotion".....hang on! I have never been one to not try something and if I cannot master it on my own, I know how to ask for help!

Never Be Afraid To Ask!

You can by a template for your website, but if you want to update or add certain features, you must enter the vast world of HTML, which is the system for tagging text to achieve the look you want on your website.
This hypertext marked up language has just about driven me over the edge with all the hyperlinking, tagging text to achieve font, colors and graphics and much more. I can never just add a product to my site; I start looking around and flipping though the pages and see a little something here that needs tweaking then another and another. Before you know it I have spent about 3 hours and only loaded 2-3 new products. Not my most productive time.

While mucking my way through this behind the scenes world of the web I have found a couple of groups/forums that are filled with wonderful souls that share their knowledge so graciously. It warms my heart that there are people out there that will help you get through this strange language with the hopes that you will succeed! The most helpful group is the WAHM (Work At Home Moms) which know what it is like to juggle work, home and play. While I no longer have the daily juggle of kids it is still an effort to keep up with all of this. For this group I am most grateful and thank them so much for always answering my sometimes stupid questions (they never make me feel that way) and offering any way they can to help. Thank You WAHM, you do make my e-world a little easier!

Should you need any help with anything, give this site a try http://www.wahm.com/ I promise you will keep going back!

Pitfalls of E-commerce

While I thought I was keeping up with my blog from time to time, I have not! My blogs have been all over the place, but will now be posted to this blog only. Somehow in this crazy world I have been crossed up with another blogger who is also a “Polka Dot Monkey”.  She also has unique items for children. It looks like we both started up about the same time frame. I however , purchased  www.polkadotmonkeys.com and www.thepolkadotmonkeys.com ,  6 months prior to opening my shop and plan on keeping them up! After hours spent trying to resolve this situation, I have now cornered another blog polkadotmonkey.blogspot and thepolkadotmonkey.wordpress. While this will be the main blog, I am going to feed the others to try and keep the confusion down.

This is just one of the many pitfalls of being an online store. With people being able to have shops on blogs without registering a domain, your .com can be in jeopardy. You are not just a shop in your hometown, but one of the millions online in all the hometowns. This is the number one reason to give a face to your store, a connection, so there is no confusion about who your customers are dealing with. The role of social media is forever changing and an integral part of our everyday lives. Social networks like Facebook, Tweeter, My Space, LinkedIn, Friendster, Hi5, Bebo, Orkurt and Ning, just to name a few,  allow anyone, anywhere to be whatever or whoever they want. This is why it is so important to join other networks so your customers and readers know you are who you claim to be and trust you. Having your customer's trust key in having a successful shop online.