Busy, Busy, Busy :)

Welcome to all the newbies around here!  I am so happy you found Mimi & Mack!  I have had several questions about how to order and what is coming next, so I'll try my best to fill you in.  I just downed two chocolate, chocolate chip muffins and a big cup of coffee, so fingers crossed I'm not too spastic to get through this before my wild children come barreling downstairs to beg me to feed them.

First of all, I am a one-lady tiny shop just north of Chicago (was in the city for several years and am just now getting used to this Mayberry life).  I am originally from a small town in Mississippi, and I love merging the two styles of Southern and Big City.  I only make about 1-10 pieces of each style at a time so that you know what you order will not be seen on every child in your town.  What your daughter will have is not made overseas in a large manufacturing warehouse.  It is made early in the morning, in between school drop offs and swim lessons, and sometimes late at night in my home.  I probably should be folding more laundry, having more coffee with girlfriends, or propping my feet up to watch a little television, but instead I choose to lose myself in fabrics.  Please know that I spend weeks (sometimes months) sketching and shopping for just the right fabrics and patterns that take my breath away . . . and it is sometimes very difficult for me to let go of items!  Especially the ones in Mimi's size :).

As my time allows, I try to come up with new pieces every month, so please keep checking here, Facebook, or Instagram (mimi_and_mack) for new items.  I sell my items on mimimack.bigcartel.com, and you can check there to see what items have sold in the past few months.  Right now I do not take custom orders, and I will not remake someone else's items.  Other designers work hard to come up with their own creations, and while it is flattering to them to have someone love their items, it is also painful to see a remake.  

Recently our local newspaper, The Glencoe Anchor, featured Mimi & Mack in the Life & Arts section, and I am thrilled with the article!  I was expecting a back page corner and was given two full pages.  Very beautifully written and has made me so very grateful they stumbled across my little business.  The author went to high school in Alabama, so he totally understood my Southern roots.

In January, I joined the Brownie-Goose Online Showcase (which is how many of you found me), and will be selling 6-10 items on their Facebook page every few months.  Last night I sold this sweet little number in a matter of seconds!  I was blown away!  The first four to comment SOLD were just a few seconds apart.  Very exciting!

Our next sale will be April 20, so set your alarms!  I will remind you on Facebook and Instagram and will show sneak peeks of the items I make prior to the sale.

On March 12 I will be selling some items LOCALLY in the Glencoe PTO Cocktails and Couture Fundraising Event from 6-9:30 at the Renaissance Hotel.  When a friend called to ask if I would be interested, I immediately said OF COURSE!!  I am rarely able to help with more than an occasional Valentine's class party, so I am happy to give back to this organization that provides so much for this  amazing school system.  I am so nervous and excited (Mimi calls this nervexcited) to see how my items will sell in this area.  And I'm debuting something new that so many of you have asked me about . . . more to come on that soon.  If you are local, please come by and check this out!  

Also, I will have a few items in a local shop called Black Sheep General Store this spring!!  I cannot wait to stroll by the store front and see a few little Mimi & Mack items hanging on a rack.  The owner and all the groupies that hang out at the Starbucks across the street are going to be so annoyed by my constant strolling -- like at least 10 times a day I'll yell, "Hey, kids!  Who wants to ride scooters to downtown?"  I will become a stalker for sure.  And then God forbid someone actually buy something while I'm strolling by . . . never mind.  Maybe I need to limit myself to one stroll a day . . .

And then the Brownie-Goose Online Showcase will take place on April 20th.  Somehow, some way I will sneak in a few items to sell to YOU through Big Cartel.  Life will be very busy over the next few months, but it is a good busy.  A satisfying busy.

If you have any questions or suggestions (or pics you want to share of your little in Mimi & Mack!), just e-mail me at mimiandmack@yahoo.com.

XOXO,

Jeri Anne    

    

Surprise Sale!!

It has warmed up to 12 degrees and snowflakes are floating down outside my window.  The big flakes are lovely, but I'm already dreaming of warm spring sunshine and my favorite spot on earth -- the beach.

My family has fallen madly in love with the white beaches and turquoise waters along 30A (but please don't go there because we fear it will become too crowded!), and my favorite memories are digging in the warm sand with my children.  When making this next item, all I could think about was the spring I was pregnant with Mack and Mimi was a silly little toddler walking up and down the beach like a penguin.  This was when I first began sewing and I so wish I had begun before this time so that I could have packed this dress in her little suitcase for the beach . . .

The Seagrove Tilly 

Mint and white fabric with baby pink mini pom pom trim.  This dress makes me want to squeeze somebody. :)

A sweet little flutter sleeve . . . 

And my faaaaaaavorite part of the outfit -- the sweet little bloomers.  I remember when Mimi's little chubby legs wore these.  Your little can even wear them with a simple t-shirt on a hot day.  Or without one :)

The pastel colors make me dream of the pretty sun-bleached homes in Seaside and Grayton Beach . . . 

How precious is that trim peeking out at the bottom?

My other favorite part -- the big wooden button in the back.  One nice part about this outfit is that the neck is large enough to put on your little one without fussing with a button.

*HOW TO MAKE THIS YOURS . . .

Go to the Brownie-Goose Showcase Page on Facebook on Monday, February 23rd, at 8:00 PM Eastern and be the first to type "SOLD" and your Paypal address.  (If you aren't comfortable posting your PP address, then please send a private message to the page immediately.)

Here are the deets on the Seagrove Tilly:

Size 18M
The dress is 16" long and measures 21" across the chest.
The bloomers will fit a waist size 17"-20".
One of a kind!!  Your sweet little one will be the only child in this exact dress!

And, please, for the love, promise me you'll snap some photos of your little one wearing this dress on a beach somewhere!

Spring Day Tunic

Surprise, surprise!!  Another item will be added to my mimimack.bigcartel.com upload on Friday!!

My favorite top of the BG Showcase -- the Spring Day Tunic.  

I looooove her.

She is made of gorgeous cotton lawn and hangs so beautifully.  Mimi loves how soft this shirt is.

You may see me use a lot of this gorgeous coral print for trims on dresses and tops this spring.  This color looks beautiful on everyone.

When designing for children, I love to search in my own closet and find details that will help modernize some of my traditional patterns.  The high-low front is so flattering, and the cropped sleeve is pretty (and short enough she won't need to roll up her sleeves to wash her hands!).

One simple button in the back.

Mimi likes it :)

I think she gives it a 10!

What a stinker.

The shirt is just long enough to wear with leggings AND to tuck into pants or a skirt.  Mimi has been wanting to wear her sparkly silver belt.

Not sure what was so funny . . . but I'm sure it had to do with her crazy brother . . .

**This shirt will be uploaded to mimimack.bigcartel.com at 7:00 PM Central on Friday, February 6.  I can only make a limited quantity (as with everything), so make sure you set your alarms.
The Spring Day Tunic can be made in sizes 2-10.  Make sure you specify the size in the comments section when ordering.

The jeans are from Gap, sparkly belt from Old Navy, and the shoes are Primigi (that I scored at a store closing for $30!!  Those suckers are usually $70!).

The pattern is inspired by the Brownie-Goose Cricket tunic.

Return Flight Tunic

More than anything, I choose to keep my sewing simple. 

 I want it to be no fuss for a little one to put on in the morning. 

 I want the fabric to flow freely and not cling to their arms when they need to reach high or climb. 

 I want it to be casual enough to wear to school but beautiful enough to wear to Sunday brunch with grandparents.  

And THIS is the epitome of Mimi and Mack.  The Return Flight Tunic.

As I am typing I see two feet of white fluffy powder on the ground with even more falling from the sky.  It is gorgeous and my children enjoy it . . . but I know in a few more weeks we will wish for warmer days.  The first sign that winter is gone and spring is approaching is the return flight of the birds.

And that is what this gorgeous piece reminds me of . . .

I am so happy with my first early spring piece.  The light mint green reminds me of a flavor of ice cream I craved as a child . . . what was the name of that?  Daiquiri Ice, maybe?  So cool and bright.

What is going on behind those sneaky eyes?

Although I am making this top for early spring, I plan to let Mimi wear it all year.  In the spring with a cardigan, bright magenta leggings, and ballet flats.  In the warm summer with white cropped jeans.  In the winter with cozy pants and pretty boots.  These shiny gold birds in flight will even be perfect for the holidays. 

The only fussiness is the pretty gold button.  And Mimi can easily slip this top on and off without even touching the button.

Layered with a simple gray cardigan.

This top with come in sizes 2-10.  It is fairly roomy, so it should fit all shapes well.  Mimi normally wears a 5 but is growing quickly, so this top is a 6.  You can't go wrong by ordering a size larger, but don't worry if you order your daughter's normal size.

**I will begin taking orders for the Return Flight Tunic this Friday, February 6, at 7:00 PM Central.
You can purchase at mimimack.bigcartel.com at this time.  You may type the size in the comments box when you pay for the top.


Mimi's Jeans are Old Navy, the cardigan is H&M, and the ballet flats are Yosi Samra.  I love a good mix of fancy and frugal :)

This gorgeous top was inspired by the Cali Faye Voila Top.

It's snowing but I'm dreaming of spring . . .

I'm having some post-showcase withdrawals this week after all the excitement is over . . . 

The 2nd Brownie-Goose Showcase was my first to participate in, and with some designers having quick sell-outs I would call it more than a success.  My "co-workers" were amazing, and I am thrilled to be a asked to rejoin the group for the next one in April!  (Cartwheels and summersaults and more cartwheels!)

More to come on that, but I wanted to share the items I sold in case you missed it.  All of these except one are OOAK (one of a kind).  That means I can never make them exactly the same again -- not even for my daughter.  Aaaand cue whining from Mimi.  

A happy tunic

Wild mustangs (I have a bit more of this fabric)

This tunic will hopefully be up for orders by the end of this week!  Eeks!

Sunshine tunic

Oh, how i love the back of this one!  A sweet friend of mine scored this gorgeous dress, and I MUST see pics of your daughter in it, Christine.  You know she loves to pose -- I remember a certain fashion show. :)

One of my favorite dresses I have ever made!  I had a few moms stop me on the street while I was walking to get my coffee fix and ask me if this sold.  I think it sold first!  I made several tops from this in the fall and didn't really think I had enough left to do anything with -- so glad I was wrong.  

Sweet lions.  And don't worry -- I have much more of this fabric and am working on a new design right now!  (Like really sketching with one hand and typing with the other)

Love a sweet open back top.  I found out the girl who purchased this has twins, and I realized I have just enough butterfly fabric to make a matching dress.  I don't normally do customs, but I can't let those girls fight over this pretty thing. :)

Now it's time to move on and open my shop back up.  If you're new around here, I sell all of my items at mimimack.bigcartel.com.  I will post on Facebook a couple of days in advance so you can be ready!  Right now I'm working on something in baby, big girl, tween, and adult -- and I have completely freaked myself out!  I can't wait to finish and share pics!