Two New Patterns Are In My Shop!

Both "AnnElise" & "Paige" are now available for instant download in my shop. The printed patterns will hopefully be in the shop in a week or so.

Dawn

AnnElise

Here are a few photos of Abby modeling "AnnElise", the next pattern to join my collection. As you can see this little dress is as pretty as a picture and easy too! It has a loose fit so it's perfect for hot sunny days when you want something light and cool to put on. It's perfect over a sweet little camisole like Abby is wearing in the photo or it can be worn with a t-shirt as well, depending on the look you prefer. AnnElise just slips on, and according to Miss Abigail it's the "Most Comfortable Dress...EVER!! and she said she would love a whole closet filled with these! If that's not a two thumbs up, I don't know what to say. Abby also pointed out that this would be an adorable bathing suit cover-up because it's so easy to slip on and off. So, she asked if I could make on to match her bathing suit until she reminded herself that her suits from last year don't fit anymore. Note to self * Buy Abby new bathing suits soon! I've also added these super easy to make dimensional butterflies to this dress for a extra special touch. I will be offering a free downloadable tutorial here and on my website with all the instructions on how to make them. AnnElise will become available within the week so keep a close watch for news of her arrival!

Dawn

Ship Shape!

Finally, at long last something new! I just wanted to give you a little peak at something I am working on. With halter tops and dresses being all the rage I decided to give my hand a try at designing one with an Olabelhe flair. To be honest, Abby and I are both loving this one. So fast and easy and super comfy. By now, I've made her about six or seven of these while testing this new design out and it's a winner. The pattern is in the works and I hope to release it soon so you can start making them up for your little girl. Abby and I have named this one "Paige". Paige goes together in a flash. and couldn't be easier. You are just going to love it. Can you believe how much she's grown since you've see Abby last? My little girl is really growing up.

Spring Pattern Sale Starting Today!

Starting today I am having a huge Spring Pattern Sale. This is the perfect time to stock up on all those patterns you have been wanting to add to your collection, but keep putting off. This sale will run through Thursday, April 25, 2013 and is for PDF patterns only!!! Here's how it works. Visit my shop and buy any PDF pattern and then email me at Dawn@Olabelhe.com and let me know which pattern/patterns you would like as your gift. If you could please use the code "Tulips" in the subject line of your email that would be perfect, so I know you are taking advantage of the sale. Also, there is no limit! That means if you buy three...you get three free! If you buy ten, you get ten free!!! Just imagine all the fun you can have building your pattern collection, and all the pretty little things you can make this Spring to create a darling new wardrobe for your little girl! Happy Shopping!!!!

Dawn

Let's Get The Party Started. . .

Remember this beauty from last Summer??? It's from my "Olivia's Dress" pattern which has become one of my most popular patterns. I sell a ton of these and it's become a favorite with so many of you. Well, Abby has outgrown it, so it's the first dress up for auction today! She was so sad this morning when she saw that this one is the next dress to go to a new home. "Mommy, "really" that one!!! ----sulk---- I know it doesn't fit me anymore :  ( " I gave her a big hug and told her that we would go out today to buy a few more flowers for her garden and that made the world a happy place again. It's so tough growing up! Being 9 has it's moments that's for sure. 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We did, the weather was fantastic and the kids spent a lot of time outside. We slipped in a trip to the movies, worked in the garden, did some baking, and I did a lot of sewing. Just wait till you see this new design I'm working on. Super cute, fashionable, great for all ages, and perfect for Summer. It ticks a lot of the boxes. Perhaps I'll give you a sneak peek a little later this week.

Today...errands this morning and school this afternoon, listing more auctions and hopefully I can sneak in a little sewing/pattern writing too. I'd better get hopping...so much to do and before I know it, it will be dinner time!

Here are few pictures of the next auction going up today, 

I'm not sure If I've shown this one before or not???

This set includes - "Lilly's Top" and a sweet pair of matching Capri pants

Made from Riley Blake's "Sweet Divinity" fabric collection

Size 7-8

Dawn

Today's Happenings and A New Recipe For You

Today's First Listing

Lauren's Pinafore Size 5-6

Look over to the right. . . I've added a new gadget to the sidebar of my blog so that you can see all the auctions that are currently active. I will do my best to keep up with it however, forgive me if I slip a little. I decided to spice it up a bit by adding more than one a day. After listing the first auction yesterday I decided that to keep things exciting and interesting I should really keep the momentum going. Plus, it will help move these dresses even more quickly. I am going to try to list 3-4 a day and see if I can keep up with it.

Today will be a day of sewing and auctions. I have a new design that I made up the other day and Abby and I just love it, so I want to make a few more samples today and start writing the pattern so I can add that one to my shop as well. Plus, I need to make up another batch (or two) of our new favorite cookie. These are simply TDF...you must give them a try. I made a batch the other day and they disappeared within a few hours. Yes, the entire 3 dozen were gone within hours!!!

Lime and Coconut Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
zest of one large lime
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (this was exactly 1 lime for me)
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  

Toast coconut until lightly brown and fragrant (5-7 minutes)

In small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add in the egg, vanilla extract, lime juice, and lime zest, and beat until well combined.  

Gradually add in the dry ingredients(okay, I admit it…I just dumped it all in at once).  

Lastly, fold in the toasted coconut and white chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.  

Roll rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough into balls and roll in sugar.  Here’s what my balls looked like

I’d say they were about a tablespoon in size.  

Bake cookies 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Mine took closer to 10 minutes each batch.  The cookies will look slightly cracked.

Let the cookies sit on cookie sheet for three minutes, then move them onto a cooling rack.

Thanks to "Greens and Chocolate" for the FANTASTIC recipe!!!!

Have a great Saturday!!!!
Dawn

Let The Auctions Begin!!

Today is the first day of my Spring Sample Sale and I have to say it was a very difficult decision to pick which dress would be the first to go up for auction. As I was digging through Abby’s closet I began to get a bit melancholy as a started pulling dresses out remembering sewing each one and then Abby and I going out to have special time together and taking the photos. I know this may sound a bit sappy, but in all honesty each of these garments has a story and memories that go along with it. Everything from choosing the fabrics to stitching each one together and seeing it come to life and then having Abby model it and the two of us having so much fun together. But alas, she has outgrown all of these and it’s time for them to find a new home and bring happiness to another little girl. So, for my very first selection I have chosen this bright and sunny dress made from my “Rebecca’s Sundress” pattern. I have to say, “I love the colors in this one!” Bright and cheerful and perfect for Summer. This dress was created with fabric from Kate Spain’s “Central Park” collection.

Opening Bid for this dress is $10.00

This auction will end at 9am EST on Saturday April 20, 2013


Another Dress has been added!!!!

Size 5
Fabrics - "Simply Sweet"

Opening Bid for this dress is $10.00
Auction will end at 12:00 pm EST on Saturday April 20, 2013

Please remember to read all the auction guidelines before bidding.

* Please understand that these are all one-of-a-kind, couture samples created by me in my studio. There is only one, and I will not be able to create any more in different sizes.

*All auctions will run for a set number of hours to give everyone an opportunity to bid on an item if they are interested. This includes all my International customers. 

* If you decide to bid on an item please bid only in $5.00 USD increments. This will make it easier for people to see the progress without having to scroll forever to get to the end. Please include your bid amount as well as your PayPal address.

* At the end of each auction I will send a PayPal invoice to the highest bidder and they will have 12 hours to send their payment in.

* I will only be accepting payment via PayPal for these auctions.

* If the highest bidder does not pay, it will then go to the next highest bidder and so on.

* All sales are final and I will not accept returns, so before you bid please make sure the it will fit the little girl you have in mind.

* Shipping will be an additional cost and I will be using USPS Flat rate mailing boxes to ship all items. I am happy to ship Internationally, but please keep in mind any and all fees associated with that are the buyers responsibility.

* If you have a question about an item please feel free to email me at Dawn@Olabelhe.com and I will make every effort to answer you quickly to help in your decision making.

* A portion of each sale will go into a special fund and at the end of this event we will be sending a donation to the World Wildlife Fund in order to help in Abby's desire to save endangered animals.

* During this sales event most of the samples will be in the size 5- size 10 range and will vary daily so check back each day to see what's new.

Thank You!

To bid on these dresses please visit my Facebook page by clicking on the link below.

Happy Bidding!!

Olabelhe Spring Sample Sale Event!

As I'm sure many of you can imagine, over the past several years I have created more dress/outfits than I can count. I use these samples to photograph my designs and share them with you on my blog for inspiration and to spark your imagination. After the photographs are taken all these samples find their way into Abby's closet, my closet, our laundry room, or wherever I can find space for them and to be honest. . . they are kind of taking over our house. So, I need to find new homes for as many of them as possible. I have thought and thought about the different ways to offer them and after much consideration I am going to try something new. It's a bit daunting because I am not terribly familiar with it, but I am going to give FaceBook a whirl. I have not spent much time there mainly due to the lack of time in my day but from what I have heard it's an amazing tool to spread the word quickly about something and get a lot of people excited. Therefore it seems like a great option. Here's my plan! I would like to try to auction off one dress/outfit everyday and slowly start to clear out out over stuffed closets. Keep in mind all of the samples have only been worn for photos and nothing else, so they are in perfect condition. Starting this Friday April 19th, 2013 I will list one dress/outfit on my Facebook page. If all goes as planned I will list it early in the morning. Along with a photo I will also provide measurements of the garment that is up for auction and if I have featured this garment on my blog I will also include a link to that blog page so you can see additional photos as well as more info about it. I will start each auction with an opening bid and then if you are interested it's up to you to bid on it. But in order to avoid anyone being confused or unhappy I have set up a few guidelines to avoid any stress, and they are as follows:

* Please understand that these are all one-of-a-kind, couture samples created by me in my studio. There is only one, and I will not be able to create any more in different sizes.

*All auctions will run for a set number of hours to give everyone an opportunity to bid on an item if they are interested. This includes all my International customers. 

* If you decide to bid on an item please bid only in $5.00 USD increments. This will make it easier for people to see the progress without having to scroll forever to get to the end. Please include your bid amount as well as your PayPal address.

* At the end of each auction I will send a PayPal invoice to the highest bidder and they will have 12 hours to send their payment in.

* I will only be accepting payment via PayPal for these auctions.

* If the highest bidder does not pay, it will then go to the next highest bidder and so on.

* All sales are final and I will not accept returns, so before you bid please make sure the it will fit the little girl you have in mind.

* Shipping will be an additional cost and I will be using USPS Flat rate mailing boxes to ship all items. I am happy to ship Internationally, but please keep in mind any and all fees associated with that are the buyers responsibility.

* If you have a question about an item please feel free to email me at Dawn@Olabelhe.com and I will make every effort to answer you quickly to help in your decision making.

* A portion of each sale will go into a special fund and at the end of this event we will be sending a donation to the World Wildlife Fund in order to help in Abby's desire to save endangered animals.

* During this sales event most of the samples will be in the size 5- size 10 range and will vary daily so check back each day to see what's new.

Many of my iconic Olabelhe dresses will be going up for auction. Including some very special ones which have been featured on pattern covers as well as in magazines. Each day will bring a new surprise and possibly a dress/outfit that you would like to call your own.

Please help me spread the word by sharing this with your friends and family. Post it on your Facebook page, tweet about it, share it on your blog, etc. etc. The more people that know about this the more successful we will be in finding new homes for all these dresses.

Here's a link to my Facebook Page

Dawn