Are you ready for some FOOTBALL??

Boy do I love it when I hear those familiar sounds on TV indicating that it's football season and I especially love COLLEGE football. This year I thought it'd be fun to try something with a twist blending Fall design with some collegiate tie ins. Kids are huge fans too, so why not grab something fun for them to wear! Here are a couple pieces for the Longhorn or the Aggie fan. I never thought I'd take time out of my day creating something for our friends over at Texas A&M but I checked my ego at the door and I have to say, this was a super fun shoot with the girls. To see all the photos is to know how many 100's of longhorns and/or gig 'em thumbs were thrown by both throughout these pictures. If you're not an Aggie fan, I even think that piece would coordinate perfect for you Oklahoma Sooners, the Alabama Crimson Tide and many other schools. This was loads of fun, who knows, maybe some more color themes will pop up for schools! The pieces will be added shortly to my Etsy store and can easily be worn throughout the Fall season whether you want pictures in the Autumn leaves or photos at Thanksgiving. We may have paired them with college tees in these pics but you can match them however you fancy. The colors truly represent the season right in front of us. Full album of pictures are being added today with the rest of the photos on Facebook.

The skirt with a dark cranberry center does have a coordinating knot dress that goes with it if you have sisters to match. Thank you to Kristen from Kristen Duke Photography for taking some gorgeous shots for me. I've had this lucky opportunity to continue to meet amazingly talented folks here in the Austin area. Love your work Kristin! Check out her daughter, isn't she precious?

I've been neglectful of the blog!

but I promise I'll be back :-) Just seem to have moved over to Facebook and have been using that tool more and more these days! When my kids are back in school and time allows it, I'll hop back over here on a more regular basis. Fall collections are in the works, lots of stuff will be coming along and I'm sure I'll have plenty to write. In the meantime, I'm slowly sharing some sneak peeks of some Fall pieces I'll be releasing late July. Full photo reveals to come soon :)

Auctions for Susana

Another online fundraiser to help a little girl who's fighting the good fight each and every day. All across the country, I know people are praying her name. Susana is a precious 4-year-old girl who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma on April 21, 2010, which is an aggressive cancer that has already spread to her bones, liver, chest and spine. Many people in the indie design community have all donated to help this family as they charge forward through this. I've started following her families journies, their entries on Susana and their missionary efforts. I'm humbled and inspired by these amazing and faithful people. You can find a list of items being donated here and they will go live tonight on ebay for 10 days. I've donated my Summer Bloom knot dress shown in todays blog entry. When the links are all active, I'll link them on facebook :-)

It's Good to Give

My Mom and Dad taught us that from a young age, it's good to give! From as early as I can remember, they got us those little envelopes from the church and made us kids give a portion of our allowance to the poor each week at church. Oh it was agonizing as a kid to turn over what little we had to people we didn't even know. Fast forward 40 years later, I'm grateful those lessons were taught to me. I received an email from Heather from Fabulous Fun Finds who I became acquainted with a while back when she and I did a review and giveaway for my store. The unimaginable has happened to her sisters family, they lost their sweet baby Hailey to SIDS.


When I read the story, like any mother, the tears appeared instantly. My thoughts went to my own children, how precious the time with them is. Heather asked if I'd be willing to donate an item to the Hailey Angel Project and of course my response was yes. The readers voted and selected what out of my store we are putting in the auction and we are auctioning off the Bella Skirt/Sash and Rhinestone slide.
These 3 pieces have a retail value of $48. It might be nearing 100 degrees in your part of the country but it's a super cute skirt that my own daughter has been known to wear year round opting for a tank in the Summer. The Bella Collection was my best selling collection last Fall.

I'm happy to be apart of this auction as her sister and her husband start this new journey rebuilding her life alongside her husband and raising money for unexpected bills, SIDS research and other families who grieve from the loss of a child. Heather has built quite a fanbase because she has great taste and able to find those neat pieces out on the internet. So many of her past vendors have also stepped up to help her with this fundraiser. Lots of items to suit anyones tastes so take a looksie and know that you are helping out someone truly in need. Blessings :-)

Proud to be an American!

Yep, just like the title reads, I am so proud to be an American! Unless it's football season and the Longhorns are in it to win it, these are colors we'd choose to wear year round and without a doubt come on full tilt this time of year. It's the season of parades and picnics, swimming and watermelon seed spitting contests and of course celebrating the independence of this wonderful country and the freedoms that we have. I'm a child to the military (nope not a military brat, I don't like that phrase, why the word brat someone tell me?) We moved a lot growing up and I know first hand the sacrifices our military men and women as well as their families make for us. I tip my hat to those folks that have the courage to enlist and protect our freedoms. It's a household deal, I know that! I'm grateful for the spouses who stoically keep the family trekking along. Even in lifes best case scenario, we know that just ain't easy!

This set is available for purchase in my Etsy store but I am kicking things off by giving the complete set away for free. (photo'd with a pettiskirt underneath to show fullness, sorry that's not included) Do you know a little girl that would be perfect for this? Send her my way and share the love! It's easy, all you need to do is become a fan of La*tee*da*kids on Facebook and leave a comment under this post on the facebook page. If you don't have Facebook, do you Twitter? Twitter this post for a chance. If you don't have either of these, then simply leave a comment here on the blog in the comments section. I will randomly pick a winner in a week from the random # generator. Sizes offered will be 2-8. This giveaway is available to US residents only and of course any military personnel with an APO address.

Huge thank you to Holly and Peyton for photos.

Want to Pay it Forward? Read on about Beyond the Lights

On Friday May 14, 2010, Brad Leland and Kyle Chandler, stars from the television series Friday Night Lights, will be hosting the Third Annual Beyond The Lights Golf Classic being held at Wolfdancer Golf Club at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa . Team Steiner (yep, that's us) shown in the photo has stepped up to volunteer for the weekend. Proceeds from this tournament go to benefit two charities, Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation and the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.

I am super excited to be a part of this local event being put on right here in Austin, TX. It's the annual Beyond The Lights Celebrity Golf Classic. My husband is going to be golfing (didn't take too much twisting of his arm since he eats, sleeps and breathes the sport :) and I will be donating a gift certificate for my store to be part of the silent auction the night of the big party. I've seen a list of some of the items to be donated, looks like it's going to be a FUN night with all kinds of items to bid on both in a silent and live auction format with the proceeds going to charity. If you are a local business or organization and are interested in sponsoring a hole, donating a gift certificate or an item? It's not too late! If you want to sign up to golf, they have some spots open. Along with the popular Friday Nights Lights guys, they have verbal commitments from both Tony Romo and Roy Williams to come out and swing their clubs and Mack Brown to attend the pairings party.

The success of the tournament relies on the generosity of community leaders, businesses and caring individuals. Without the assistance of Gridiron Heroes and the Buoniconti Fund, many of those paralyzed would have little hope. Do you Twitter or have a Facebook business page? Please share the information so we can make this years tournament a huge success!

For additional information, please feel free to visit the website, you can email me at lateedakids@gmail.com or call 512-266-0643 and find out how you can help. Let's Pay it Forward and have some fun while we're at it! If you've never been to the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort, this would be a great time to check it out. They will have plenty to do for the entire family. Bring them all!

I love organization...especially when it's cute!

First off, I should start by saying someone ought to begin by monitoring my trips to Target! Wow, I can't seem to get out of that store without dropping a lot of $$. Today's trip was actually for a bottle of Motrin for one of my sick ones home with me today. I should know, a trip into Target is never just for the single item I walked in for :-) Spring is definitely in the air as I was admiring all the fun things they are lining the shelves with. I love all the bright colors that remind you that poolside parties are just around the corner. I saw these fun utensil caddies in all different colors. I grabbed my favorite color red already knowing exactly what mine was going to be used for. My sewing room can be quite a disaster zone at times. I've got things stored all over the place and have collected quite the number of tools(yes, we females have tools) attachments, fabric pens, rulers and more. I thought this would be the perfect way to store them. I loved that it had some height to it so my scissors didn't go toppling over and the individual compartments made space for lots of things. I grabbed one of my stickers designed and made by my good friend Cathy and added it to the front to personalize it. So, if you are in the same mood to Spring Clean and brighten things up in your own design center, these silverware caddies are great. Now my girls want one for their room for all their art gear.

Photo Shoot with Vodka...

I guess that title might need a little explaining! I am fresh off of a wonderful Spring Break vacation and ready to get back to things. I've had this one piece done forever and have never gotten around to getting it photographed. Since we're still off from school, I grabbed my kids and announce we needed to grab a few pics. Their reward? I'll let them download a few more games on my iPhone. It seems that little device holds a lot of power in the house these days and minimizes their complaints when promised a few more 99 cent apps. I've found a little spot that has the color siding that I absolutely love. It happens to be a drive thru liquor store. Well, one can't be picky with locations :-) It happens to be the color I love. I park, ask the guy if we can do some photos and he tells us an unenthusiastic "sure." While we're doing our pics, what looks like a wolf walks our way. He's no doubt the guard dog and definitely a scary looking fellow. One husky blue eye, one hazel colored eye. My daughter is tensing up and I yell to the attendant is the dog friendly and what is his name hoping he'll call him away. He grumbles that his name is "VODKA" Well how appropriate! He watched over us the rest of our stay. He may have looked like a wolf, turns out he's sweet as sugar. We got our photos with my favorite red background and made a new friend in Vodka the dog. You can find these double ruffle capris on Etsy now.

Brand new eBook...Ruffle Pants

Big ruffle capri pants were some of my favorite things to put on my girls when they were little. Easy to move around and play in, perfect for them to get up and down all on their own. We all know the importance of wearing something that has your little one saying "I do myself!" Whether she's getting dressed, heading to playgroup or potty training, these capris are the perfect choice. I've written an eBook that is a step by step tutorial on how to make them complete with lots of color photographs. You can find this currently in my Etsy Store. The basic tutorial is for single ruffle capris but I have also included some additional notes on how to make double ruffles. Double ruffles are fun to make when you want to add just a bit more color, another layer or play up the colors of a holiday like Christmas, July 4th and more. The options are endless for what you can make for you little one.

I've confirmed it....40's are fabulous!!

Wow, what a busy start to 2010 it's been and so far all indicators point to a really great year! Last weekend I celebrated a milestone, I joined the 40 year old club. Boy, that snuck up fast!! My dear hubby started planning a surprise party months ago with the help of my sister and a few sly friends of mine. We enjoyed a super night of music, food, drinks and a whole lot of dancing! Several days later, I think my legs might finally feel normal again. Here's me and the man behind the scenes who supports the constant chaos in our house. The late nights, the bolts of fabric all over the place, bins stored here and there full of blank t-shirts, the last minute requests to watch one of the kids while I run out for a photo shoot that needed to get done yesterday. Sometimes it's not pretty and I can feel the age of my brain with a ton of pots on the burner but I love what I do and better yet, love who's by my side. I feel blessed to have this guy who is my biggest supporter out there!

Spring Collections are here

We've hit our record lows here in Texas but I've got my sights set on things that say Spring and warmer temps! One of my favorite guys (the UPS man) finally delivered a whole bunch of my favorite new fabrics and I am all set. The EVA Collection has been listed and I was so thrilled to see the new pieces come to life as we worked with a few new models in the area to get the photos done with Scott. This little girl is the sweetest, the kind you just want to take a bite out of! I have more plans for this fabric so there will be more pieces coming.

I have had an inquiry about substituting the pony print on the skirt or dress from this collection for something else. I welcome emails like this and happy to offer ideas. I have many prints and colors on hand if you'd like to keep the romantic feel but not finish it off with the pony print. Simply send me a note directly or through my STORE and that's how we start. It's the fun of custom clothing!

You say it's your Birthday!

You're gonna have a good time! Hopefully you followed along and inserted some melodic notes of your own there! Who doesn't love a birthday! I've had something on my brain to make for quite a while and it took my friend's daughter turning 4 for me to finally sit down and do it. I love the finished creation and wish I still had a little girl in the house that I could put this on. For now, I had a ball seeing her little cutie running around wearing it on her special day. Just pick the number or candles you'd like, decide if you want capris or full length jeans and I'll do the rest!

This is a brand new set just listed on Etsy. Tee and jeans are sold seperately. If you prefer a different color combination, I am happy to customize it in a color palette of your choice.

Happy Holidays and here's to 2010!!!

It's that time of year again! Wow, the days, weeks and months just continue to race by and I can't believe another year has passed. It's been a year full of lessons and abundant blessings! I am so grateful to all of the folks I continue to meet and who's children I have the pleasure of creating for! Thank you for the continued support and allowing me to do what I love to do.

Graphic design is not my forte. I take stabs at it but so far I remain at the beginner level! I'd love to learn more but for now, I find those folks that know what they're doing. I did a lot of searching on Etsy and Ebay and came across Jennifer's Store. I love finding and supporting the independent designer and she is so super nice! Such a wide variety to choose from and when it was all said and done, we came up with a new design based on the layout, colors and the # of photos that I wanted to use. I give her a BIG thumbs up, 5 stars :-) If you've got invitations for a party you need done, announcements you want designed, go ahead and check her out. She's fast, she's reasonable and just a super gal! I love my card this year so thank you Jennifer. I wanted to post to my blog for all the wonderful friends and customers to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season.

p.s. I'm already laying out some new designs for Spring 2010. Can't wait to share!

It's PARTY season....and Roses & Rhubarbs can help

Who doesn't love a fabulous party! Better yet, who doesn't love throwing the fabulous party for their friends where they circle back and talk about it, thank you for a wonderful time and tell you how on earth did you come up with all of those amazing ideas! Some folks just have that natural gift, they know the details that make a party special. It doesn't seem to matter if they're throwing a party for the pint-sized crowd or the adults, it's always done with every detail being thought through. There are lots of publications devoted to helping you plan something. You can gather all kinds of Martha Stewart Living magazines, the Family Fun magazines or you can take a new approach and save a bunch of time. Contact my friends Casey and Tonya from Roses and Rhubarbs for a simple consultation. They can help you throw a fabulous party that will cover all the details. No need to stress about invitations, food, party favors, themes or even what to wear. Casey and Tonya just really have a knack. They've thought through so many themes, have likely thrown the parties themselves and can help you have one too.

Roses and Rhubarbs is an affordable event planning business highlighting internet products to develop the perfect party. They offer private consultations and products are available on Etsy. Etsy is one of my favorite sites to shop so naturally I LOVE these girls! I really believe there are some mad skills out there on the planet. We don't get to see many of them because they just don't get a chance to land on shelves in stores across America. Well thank goodness for ETSY! Now folks like myself can do what they love to do and share with others within this unique marketplace!

The Roses & Rhubarbs website features an individual party theme each week - focusing each day on different elements of a party, such as invitations, decorations, outfit ideas, favors and more. Need some help with a party in your future or want to plan something that isn't the same ole same ole? Just check 'em out. They are the nicest gals and they will have you on your way to removing the stress and to planning an amazing party!


They currently have 15% off private party consultations and dolls in stock. You can also find Roses & Rhubards on Facebook if you want to add them to your newsfeed to stay up to date.

Inspired by the Pioneer Woman

I like to think to myself she might dress her girls in these out there on the ranch!!! Yep, some new designs and a little sneak peek! If you've never heard of the Pioneer Woman you really ought to take some time to check her out. I turn to her for those sure fire recipes that always tempt the taste buds. Her site has turned into one of those all purpose ones I love to visit! Always chock full of great info that really peaks my interest. Cooking, photography, family and life! Okay, so I digress.... moving on to my point! She is married to a guy she refers to as Marlboro Man and they have a handful of kiddos. I love hearing about their life on the frontier and "life on the ranch" has been on my mind. I love all things southern and the cowprint "Olivia" Dress has been my top selling piece that I redesign each season. I know, I know, most people are knee deep in holiday shopping and mayhem with little thought for new clothing but I've jumped ahead a little and am sharing a sneak peek of the new pieces. I can definitely see these on the ranch with Marlboro Man and the Pioneer woman herself! Layer them with tee's, add a denim jacket, find some fun brown cowgirl boots and you are ready! As the weather warms up, these fabrics are soft and femine in colors that can easily transition into the warm months as well.

I hope to share some fun modeled photos soon. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this holiday season with your loved ones!

The LOVED Wrap

This wrap is beyond special to me. I tend to be one of those wordy folks who can go on forever. Verbal explosion if you will!!! Ask my husband, my kids, sister, family members, any of my friends...... I'm a chatter! As I start to write this post I just keep going back and hitting the delete key, the words aren't coming. To the ones who inspired this, thank you for the shining examples you are. Zachary, I'll never forget you. I collaborated with my good friend Cathy from Cathy B Design. Cathy is talented beyond words. The kind who listens, holds eye contact and then just interprets your words into art. I can't thank her enough for sharing her gift.

Whatever your reasons may be, these would be a wonderful gift. Maybe someone is going through a tough time in their life, maybe you just want to reach across the miles that separate you from a loved one with a sentimental gift or just a kind token for one of your girlfriends. Throwing a little love someone's way is sure to add a smile to their day. This wrap is so incredibly soft done in a creamy white pima cotton. They fold up to almost nothing so can easily fit inside a small purse and perfect to have on hand when you need something light to take the chill off. Wear it out, everyday or over your workout clothes after you've had a good sweat. A nice versatile item sure to make someone feel special.

Special thank you to Cathy for helping to create the graphic, Lisa George for taking photos for this project, Brandi for her gorgeous smile and of course Michelle for getting us clearance to come into the Lake Austin Spa.