Design Your Own Products & Lots of Fabric Options!

As I mentioned in my last post, my shop is shifting.  Let me tell ya....it's a lot of hard work!!  I'm so glad I'm allowing myself several months to transition everything over.  Since I have my shop spread out over a couple of different platforms, I thought I may be easier to show a large chunk of fabric options all in one place.

**These are by no means the ONLY options available.  I just picked out the most popular ones right now.  Not seeing something you love?  That's okay!  Message me and we'll find something you DO love!!**

You will now find listings that look like these in both my Etsy shop and on my website: 

                        

 

There are also lots of different fabrics to choose from!  You can pick from different dimple dot minkys or from more luxurious backings like llama and sherpa.  The options are endless!!

Are you ready to design your own baby gear?  Give me a holler!! I am so excited to help you create the baby goods of your dreams!

What the Future Will Hold

When I started my little shop, I was just looking for a creative outlet; a way to dust off my "mom brain" and use my head for something outside the sometimes mundane life of raising babies.  I figured if I could make a little extra money on the side to help our growing family, then even better!  I never, in a million years, dreamed it would become as large as it has grown.  That I would have a company that provided me a full time income while I stayed at home enjoying my babes.  The connections I have made with other business owners and new mommas has been absolutely amazing, and I am so amazingly grateful for ALL of it!!

However, seasons change, and that is where I am finding myself now.  In a new season.  My youngest starts school full time in the fall.  So many other "mom things" are demanding additional attention.  School projects, after school activities, PTA and so forth.  My time with my children is now limited to the precious amount of time we have together after school and on the weekends, and I am finding myself working 90% of that time rather than spending it with them.  That has never been my intent.  With that in mind, the direction of Kadydid Designs will be changing drastically.

Over the next 5 months, I will be scaling back my shop so that I will only be taking occasional custom orders.  My Etsy shop and website will be completely different than you currently see them.  Instead of hundreds of listings for different items, there will be just a handful of listings to reserve custom spots.  Those spots will be extremely limited. I still love picking out fabrics, sewing and making goodies for mommas and babies both to enjoy and I want to continue that aspect of my business.

I will still be attending The Queen Bee Market in Las Vegas this March, with plenty of fun stuff to share (and possibly an amazing after market sale for those who can't come shop in person!).  With the new structure of my business, I may focus more on these cute handmade markets (I currently can only find time to do one or two of them a year) in the future.

More than anything, I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your love and support.  Nothing makes me happier than messages from my customers telling me how much they love their items.  Or how their baby's new Kadydid blanket is their absolute favorite.  I LOVE hearing your stories!  I love helping you pick fabrics for new nurseries!  I love working with you!  A million times over, THANK YOU!!!!

Holiday Shopping Deals

In case you haven't seen it yet, I am offering some amazing deals through Cyber Monday this year.

Both deals are available on my website  AND my Etsy shop.  Items do vary from each place, so feel free to take a look at both sites to make sure you're not missing out on something!

Better yet? Many items are ready to ship this year, which means no waiting the normal 4 weeks for goodies to arrive in your mailbox.  Take a look below to find just a few of the ready to ship items waiting for you!

Bunny teethers make the perfect stocking stuffer for babies and toddlers!  

This mauve floral teether is available in the Etsy shop (along with a matching bib that's only $5.00!).

Babies and toddlers need bibs like Santa needs Rudolph!  

This navy arrow bib is available on the website, along with several other cute options.

 This is the comfiest, softest baby blanket ever!  

Black and white flannel on top and a super squishy sherpa fabric underneath.  

Baby (and momma!) will be so happy to find this under the tree!  

You can find the blanket HERE.

In case you're wondering?  YES!  You can stack the 15% off with the $5.00 bibs.  That rarely ever happens, so take advantage while you can!  If you happen to purchase something that is not ready to ship, everything ordered this weekend will ship in time for Christmas delivery!

Now tell me...what are you hoping to snag for your littles this year?

How to Support Your Favorite Mompreneur (Without spending ANY money!)

We all have those friends...the ones who are up to their eyeballs trying to run their own business.  Whether it's one of the 500 people in your Facebook feed selling Rodan & Fields (I can't be the only one with that problem, can I??), your aunt selling LuLa Roe, your sister in law swearing by LipSense or your bestie peddling her super cute - but super pricey - handmade goods on Etsy...we all have loved ones trying to make a living by selling products they love.

Don't get me wrong! Hello!! I am the one peddling my goods on Etsy.  I love Rodan & Fields and use it religiously.  I own a few pair of LuLa Roe leggings and I do happen to love LipSense.  I have absolutely nothing against ANY of these forms of making an extra buck.  I am all for women trying new things and/or working hard for their families. However, as much as we want to (or really maybe DON'T want to), it is not feasible to purchase every single item from every single loved one.  Right?  So how can we support those that we love with their dreams of success without spending a small fortune?  It is really so, so simple!

On Facebook??  When you scroll past a friend's business post, give it a quick like or heart.  Leave a quick comment; even if it's a generic - "That looks interesting!". Share one of those posts once in awhile with a "Hey! I don't know if anybody's interested, but my girlfriend is selling this amazing product!".  Likes, comments and shares boost their posts so they get seen by more people, which in turn helps drive more business their way.

How about Instagram?  All the same as Facebook.  Liking, commenting (although it's super helpful if your comments are at least 4 words long!!), sharing pics/posts and tagging your friend's IG account in any appropriate posts.  The BIGGEST show of support for me on Instagram is when real life people/real life moms post a photo of my stuff to show it off.  You'd be amazed at how much traffic that drives; even if you only have a small handful of followers.

Pinterest!!!  We all love Pinterest and spend way too much time searching for delicious foods or cute holiday decor.  Next time you're perusing Pinterest, take a minute to visit your loved one's website and pin one or two of their items to an appropriate board.  All it takes is ONE pin to randomly go viral to absolutely change somebody's business success.  Trust me...I've been on the receiving end of that.  Crazy thing is?  You never know which pin will be the "magic" one!!  Perhaps one of the pins YOU pinned to support your Mompreneur will be the one to catapult her business into overdrive!

These are all tiny tasks that literally take seconds to do, but would mean the world to your Mompreneur friends!! Show them that you are supporting them, even if you don't want to buy any books, fitness regimens, or legal advice, 😉

Holiday Design Challenge

The Halloween Design challenge I held a few months ago was such a huge hit; I decided to run it again for the winter holidays!

This design challenge is exactly the same as the fall challenge and super easy!  Here's what you need to do:

• Pick 3 or 4 fabrics that you would like to see bibs in for the upcoming holidays.  (You can choose from fabric companies such as Spoonflower, Hawthorne Threads or Fabric.com)
• Add your fabric choices in one collage 
• Post that collage on Instagram, tagging @kadydiddesigns and using #kddholidaydesigns (your account must be made public so I can see your tags)
• Post your choices by October 10 - that's when I will repost them for voting!  

The design choices with the highest number of votes will win free bibs in all of their selected fabrics!  

Good luck and have fun!

Halloween at Disneyland

Halloween has started at Disneyland and Disneyworld, and I have been reminiscing about our trip to Disney last fall for Mickey's Halloween Party.  My kids have been asking (repeatedly) if we are going again this year; however, we just bought a house and are in the middle of packing and moving, so no trips to Disney for us this year.  Fingers crossed for next year, though!

If you have never been to Mickey's Halloween Party, here are just a few tips - and need to knows.  It is definitely NOT a comprehensive list, but you'll get a good idea.  (Full disclaimer?  The Halloween Party sells out weeks in advance.  If you do not have tickets for this year, start planning for next year!)

 The Halloween party is a separately ticketed event.  Your normal Disney admission ticket will NOT get you into the party.  Nor will your party tickets get you regular admission for a day at Disney.  They are two totally separate things.  However.  Your party ticket does get you into Disney a few hours before the party officially begins, and you'll want to take full advantage of those extra hours!  If you are planning  a trip to Disneyland during their Halloween season (September - October), be sure to avoid going to the park on any of the party days if you do not plan on attending the party. Why?  You will get kicked out of the park early!  Nobody wants to spend massive amounts of money for Disney tickets just to get kicked out of the park early.

Dress up!!  This is the one time Disney will allow adults to enter the parks in costume.  There are a few safety regulations that your costumes must meet, but they're fairly simple and require just basic common sense.  Obviously, our family went with a Disney theme, however use your imagination and have fun!  I would suggest making children's costumes relatively easy:  you want them to be safe, comfortable and be able to make it to the bathroom easily enough.  I would also skip lots of accessories.  Even our face masks were getting annoying by the end of the day.  Little kids get tired of carrying them and end up devastated if their sword/crown/whatever ends up broken or lost.

T-Shirts by Little Dorn Designs, Masks by Rosie K Embroidery

When you arrive, all party guests will line up in a perfectly, Disney-organized fashion.  You will receive a wristband and a trick or treat bag.  Once you enter the park, do NOT worry about hitting all the trick or treat stations first!!  (We learned this the hard way).  Enjoy the rides, wander around, eat some yummy food.  The candy lines are ridiculously long at the beginning of the party.  At the end of the night, the lines are non-existent and you can get as many treats as your heart desires.   And obviously, because it's Disney, they are good treats.  The best Halloween candy options you could ask for.  Suggestion?  Bring an extra bag for everybody.  I'm not kidding when I say you'll end up with more treats than you could possibly use in one Halloween season.  And that's per person.  Not per family. (**While the rest of my family was stocking up on all the candy, I opted to get the "healthy" treats each time.  I used those treats for school lunches and/or after school snacks for months after we got home).

As far as scheduling goes, try to avoid fall break times!  We went during our school's fall break, and it was insanely busy.  I will never do that again.  If we go in the future, I will take my kids out of school for a couple of days.  This is how we spent this particular Disney trip:
                         Day 1:          Morning at Downtown Disney
                                              Afternoon/Rest of the Night at Mickey's Halloween Party
                         Days 2 & 3: Park Hopper passes to split between Disneyland & California Adventure.

Next time, we will do:
                        Day 1: Disneyland regular admission
                        Day 2: Downtown Disney/Halloween Party
                        Day 3: Disnelyand OR California Adventure regular admission

I feel like the second schedule will be easier for my kids (who are younger), and makes it a bit less overwhelming for them.  It also allows a bit of a down time on the second day.  With small kids, I feel like park hopper passes are a waste of money; you can't really move fast enough to fully enjoy both parks with little legs.

I think I hit all the biggest lessons we learned during our first Halloween Party trip.  If you are wanting to plan a Disney trip, I highly suggest Get Away Today Vacations.  They make it so easy! And, if you're just looking for everyday tips and suggestions about getting the most out of your trip to Disneyland, I suggest following Disney Land Tour Guide on Instagram.  I have been to Disney MANY times, but I keep learning new tips and tricks from her!

Do you have any super important tips to share?  Or have any questions? Feel free to leave a comment!

Halloween Design Contest

🎃 I know it's still July, but it's time to start thinking about Halloween/Fall bibs for your littles!

Every year, I am asked what options I will have for Halloween, and this year, I need your help!
Visit our friends at Hawthorne Threads, Spoonflower and/or Fabric.com and pick out 1 - 4 prints that you would LOVE to see on a bib for the Autumn/Halloween season. Post them (all in ONE photo collage) on your Instagram feed with the hashtag #kddhalloween (accounts MUST be public!). At the end of the entry period, I will repost your choices on my feed and we will let everybody vote. The person with the highest amounts of votes will win their fabric choices in bibs AND those will be the bibs I will carry for this season.

Got it? Good!! Hurry and choose your fabrics! This entry round will close on July 30. Tag your friends as well...the more that participate, the more fun it will be!! 🎃