1: Today’s outfit. (Plus gummi bears, which I was all about today. We used to buy them in bulk by color!) 2: Alice making soup in the tub. 3: My love. 4: Explaining plans for our whiteboard at CAMP to my brother so he can buy materials. 5: Alice and I at Johnny Rocket’s tonight.

See more details about today’s outfit on my Polyvore page, the best tool ever for compiling imageboards!

xo
meg

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Who: Alice, 20-month-old toddler
What: A 2.5 hour flight to visit my grandfather in Phoenix
Where: On my lap in the middle seat of a packed airplane, 40,000 feet in the air
Why: I do not want to be one of those parents.

1: Pets Sticker Book (I have a “Getting Dressed” one for our return flight) 2: Pipe cleaners 3: “At the Zoo” wipe-off book 4: Noise-reducing headphones for toddlers 5: Crayons 6: Bee Backpack from Skip Hop 7: Ugly Doll bat keychain 8: Gallop! by Rufus Butler Seder 9: Silly Putty 10: Applesauce in a squeeze packet 11: Lemur stuffed animal 12: Cool wooden puzzle 13: Hello Kitty Band-Aids 14: Travel Kleenex

Not pictured: Empty sippy cup (to fill up after security), peanut butter granola bar, Annie’s fruit snacks to help her popping ears

When my brother and I were younger, our family traveled a lot. On each trip, my mom took care to pack a special airplane bag for each of us full of new treats and distractions to keep us content on a long trip. Sitting with a nearly two-year-old on my lap for the duration of a packed flight was my idea of hell, but the backpack helped a lot.

The biggest hits with Alice were the pipe cleaners, snacks (of course), and band-aids. We’ll save the rest of the stuff for the ride home on Sunday!

What do you take on long trips to keep your kids happy? Is there anything I should grab for next time?
xo
meg

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Meaghan came to me about a year ago when she got engaged and asked me to make her wedding flowers. (She first saw my work when I made her sister Jen’s wedding bouquet in 2009. There’s no better recommendation than from a sister!) With a color palette of navy and orange with yellow and white details, I spent some time thinking of ways to interpret that color palette with elegance and whimsy, and not venture too far into Denver Broncos territory–you know how that can happen: strong, bold colors connoting sports teams. But we found some very beautiful inspiration photos that showed blends of orange and navy (like here, here, and the one provided by Meaghan here).

Here’s what we came up with.

Meaghan’s sister Jen brought lots of buttons and special keepsakes to our studio in Omaha, and I was able to use every single one in Meaghan’s bouquet.

Congratulations again to Meaghan and her fiance. Check out the rest of her flowers, including corsages and boutonnieres here in her Flickr set.

xo
meg

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I’m writing from US Airways flight 668, en route to Phoenix. Alice is laying across both of us, enjoying her hard-won sleep, as Dave listens to music too loud and I work on my book outline on the little iPad keyboard I borrowed for the trip. The arms of Alice’s striped sweater are covered in patches of Hello Kitty band aids and she is clinging to her dad’s legs like a sloth. He’s sporting his fair share of Hello Kitty bandages too–the other half of the box I stuck in her special new backpack.

Yes! It’s our  first family vacation ever. I even stopped at work on our way to the airport and (in a devious twist of fate) left empty-handed. No thread has been packed, no scissors have been hidden in away in a carry-on, and no frayed scraps of fabric will litter our bedroom floor. It’s  really a big step for me.  This is the first time I’ve EVER been out of town without work.

We’re staying in a beautiful three-bedroom home where my grandpa and his wife live during one month each year. They are there, and Dave and I will be there with Alice until Sunday night. If I said I did not plan to work, that wouldn’t entirely be true–I will probably work on my book each day, but I left the heavy labor at home.

This week I plan to post a few great weddings we did recently as well as some newer work that we have just completed and mailed out, as well as instagrams and photos from our trip.

Thanks for reading, stop SOPA, eat a clementine every day, and never complain.
xo
meg

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This time of year is so busy.
I’m working hard right now on January and February bridal orders.
Trying to get new tenants into CAMP every day.
Finding sponsors and vendors for a new Midwest bridal show I’m co-organizing with a few other fantastic women.
Talking to VIP guests for Omaha Fashion Week.
Doing a push for new advertisers on my blog.
Typing the sample chapter for my book proposal.

I’m contemplating not doing a new line this spring. The next one I do will be totally in-house, patterned and sewn by me–a look very different from what we have put out in the past. My plan was to use that collection of samples and then start manufacturing the new line for wholesale using a small, ethically-operated overseas manufacturer. I need more time to refine my strategies for executing this goal, and maybe more time to look for partners or possibly investors. I really hate doing things poorly, so I’d rather put this project on hold than rush the process. If I don’t do a new line, I won’t participate in Omaha Fashion Week as a designer, which would be a disappointment to me. So right now I am just trying to weigh all of my options. I could do a smaller, more experimental line for OFW Spring 2012. I could scrap the whole project and instead focus on fundraising and connecting the organization with other influencers in the fashion industry to help support other local designers. I could do nothing and focus instead on my book, CAMP, and current clients. It is hard when you don’t know what the right answer is.

Shirt: American Apparel
Coat: Lauren Moffat
Skirt: Worthington
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Bobbi Blu
Purse: Miss Albright

xo
meg

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