SewTamz

For Japan with Love

2011-03-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

This stopped me right in my tracks today. This touches me very closely. You see I am half Japanese and my motherlives in Japan along with my Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Luckily they are not directly affected withthe disaster because they are in Southern Japan about 1000 miles away. But still the anxiety and fear of thissituation has been very troubling over the past week. So when I saw FOR JAPAN WITH LOVE BLOGGER'SDAY OF SILENCE I just had to participate.

All of the donations made on the For Japan With Lovesite will go to ShelterBox,which provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families aroundthe world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most.Each large, green ShelterBoxis tailored to the situation at hand but typically contains adisaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purificationequipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children activitypack and other vital items.

This will be the last thing you hear from me today in honor of this wonderfulprogram please stop over to the above sites if you have a chance.

No blogging. No Twitter. No Facebook.

Please JOIN.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Japan.

The Savvy Moms Guide: {Giveaway} SewTamz Designs & Artsy Canvas Girl Des...

2011-03-15T09:02:00.000-05:00

Did you see the fun giveaway over at my favorite Mommy Blog! Bri and Amy always have the best finds so definitely cruise around their site! The best thing about this giveaway is that it is with my wonderful sister Kathy! Have you checked out her great shop?

Look at these great prints that just got delivered to my house. Kathy really has a knack for topography - She took these great photos that my very talented photog friend Paula had taken and sprinkled them with love. I absolutely adore them. They are really cool because they are mounted on this mat board material and it kind of makes them look like a magazine cover. Originally I had got them to go in each of my kids rooms but we love them so much we are trying to figure out a place downstairs for them. Of course my husband and I don't agree on that spot! So until then here they sit.

Photos courtesy of Paula Charchenko and Artsy Canvas Girl Designs

To enter into the giveaway just click below

The Savvy Moms Guide: {Giveaway} SewTamz Designs & Artsy Canvas Girl Des...: "March 15, 2011 This week's Giveaway is from a talented Sister duo with a love for photography! We would first like to introduce you to Tamm..."

~ Brrrr ~

2011-02-16T00:16:00.000-06:00

SewTamz Designs - Twice as Nice Giveaway at Iheartfaces!

2010-12-01T11:46:00.000-06:00

Isn’t it true that you always seem to find the best items when you are holiday shopping for your friends? Wouldn’t it be nice to get one for yourself too? Sew (oops! I mean 'so' -- been super busy sewing these days!) in the spirit of giving during this holiday season, I came up with the perfect giveaway for you! Pick a camera strap cover set for your friend and pick one for yourself! And best of all, SewTamz will ship the set directly to your friend in time for Christmas (a $66.00 value including shipping)!

As you all know, I create personalized custom camera strap covers and camera straps for all you Diva Photogs who want to look good in designer fabrics. My products are made from fresh and funky fabrics made by designers like Amy Butler, Michael Miller and Alexander Henry. My concept is to couple fashion with comfort by pairing designer fabrics with luxurious plush minky to create a super comfy, padded yet durable product. Fashion and comfort for those heavy cameras all in one!

I also came up with a unique dual lens cap sleeve that provides functionality with personality. Simply slide the lens cap sleeve over your strap cover. It has dual pockets, one on each side so you can place your lens cap in one pocket and your ID, credit cards, business cards, SD/CF card, lens filter, USB or any other small goodies in the other pocket.

To enter the giveaway, visit my esty site and take a look around. Pick a camera strap cover set that you would love to give to a friend and the one you would love to keep for yourself. Then go to iheartfaces.com and leave a comment with your picks! It's that easy!

Here's to a wonderful season of giving!

Happy Holidays!

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Fall

2010-10-20T12:38:00.000-05:00

Starting Etsy Year 2 – with a Savvy Giveaway!

2010-09-08T02:57:00.009-05:00

Wow I can’t believe summer is over.

It has been a whirlwind and with a blink of the eye it is over. Summer has been so busy with me trying to keep up with orders while also keeping up with the kiddos. Talk about a juggling act! I can’t believe it has been almost a year since I decided to start SewTamz Designs.

I have been making baby blankets for friends having new little babies for several years. I love the little soft blankets with the satin trim and the special personalization. I love mix-matching fabrics and textures. Somehow I found my artistic medium in Fabric. I am a bit of a fabricholic. So last September when the kiddos started school I registered for my Etsy shop.

I think it was November when I was brave enough to actually list something! Or was it that someone was brave enough to buy something! (hee hee) Getting started and waiting for that first sale is probably one of the most trying times for Etsy shop owners. On Nov 9, 2009 - My first sale! It was a sweet baby blanket lovee – fuchsia pink minky, brown satin trim and sweet paisley with pinks and mochas for Ann in Oklahoma – Thanks Ann for starting things off!!!

I am constantly thinking of new creations. It is just hard finding the time to experiment. It was actually conversations with some of my photog friends that lead me into Camera Strap(s)/Covers. With the help of my friends (Paula , Christina, & Vikki), I did some experiments with camera strap covers/ hipster camera straps and photo props.

I sold my first Etsy Camera Strap Cover on Jan 21, 2010. It has been a whirlwind ever since! As well as, a learning curve of the ins/outs of having an Etsy Shop, blogging, & networking.

Now with 400 + sales across the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, &

Romania

over 10,000 hits a month from 40+ countries on my Etsy site

I think I am starting to get the hang of it.

So what a better way to start Etsy year 2 off

then with a wonderful giveaway

with the gals at The Savvy Mom's Guide.
If you have a minute check out their blog they have so many great projects and ideas - Making the Every Day Savvy The Savvy Mom's Guide

To win a Personalized DSLR Camera Strap Cover with a Dual Lens Cap Holder
($30 credit)

Make sure you go over
and enter in the
Savvy Mom's Guide - SewTamz Give Away.

Also check out these new designs that my sweet hubby helped me out with this weekend.

(It is always nice to get a honest opinion)


Silk Vintage Kimono

Nature's Splendor

A Splash of Autumn Scarlett

Which is your Favorite?

Lovin the New Fall Colors

2010-08-20T10:02:00.002-05:00

Love these colors from the fall color palette -

Thanks for the heads up Handmade Spark

Hand Made Spark is always so informative
with articles like new fall color trends http://www.handmadespark.com/blog/fall-2010-color-trends/

Michael Miller's Lagoon has been one of my favs for a while - it seems turquoise is not blue this year it is "Lagoon"!

Some fabrics in my shop following the trends

Click Camera Strap Cover

You Pick your favorite Michael Miller Reversible Camera Strap Cover

So Funky Earth Tones Camera Strap Cover

Oh so sweet - Chocolate Minky Dots

My favorites are Lagoon and Woodbine.

What is yours?

Thanks for stopping by
check out other Friday Favorites

Time's Up

2010-07-30T11:44:00.001-05:00

The Winner
of the
16x20 Rolled Canvas Print
is
Jake and RaNette entry #9.

Thanks Large Format Posters for sponsoring this giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered.

I loved hearing about all your favorite photos.

Now I really want to upgrade my camera!!!

I am really torn between Canon or Nikon.

Here is what I am thinking but I just can't decide...

Canon Rebel T2i

Nikon D5000

Rolled Canvas Print GiveAway

2010-07-22T10:51:00.005-05:00

print on canvas - http://www.largeformatposters.com/canvas-printing.html

This month I am hosting a 16 x 20 Rolled Canvas Print Giveaway!

Perfect for all of you photogs that have wonderful photos that you want to turn into Canvas Art!

Thanks to Large Format Posters for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!

Turn any photo into a work of art! Check out their site for great ideas.
Print any custom size up to 55″ X 100″ with free ground shipping!

Giveaway Details
Prize: 16x20 Rolled Canvas Print
Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above
Giveaway ends: 7/29/10 at 10:00 pm Central Time

How to Enter
For your entry to count you must leave a separate comment for each thing that you do – also make sure you leave your blog or email so I can contact you.

(Mandatory)

1. Leave a comment - what photo would you turn into Canvas!

(additional entries – one entry for each that you do)

2. visit my ETSY shop SewTamz and tell me your item. (leave a comment here)

2. Follow/subscribe to my blog (publicly) (or be an existing subscriber)

3. Like my facebook page (www.facebook.com/sewtamz) (if already like me that counts too!)

4. Heart my Etsy Shop http://sewtamz.etsy.com/ (or let me know your Etsy name if you already do)

5. Make a purchase...tell me about it.

6. Blog, tweet or facebook about this giveaway- tell me that you did.

Remember this giveaway ends Thursday July, 29th @ 10pm (central). I will use a random number generator to select the winner and contact them via email (Make sure I can email you!). You have 48 hours to respond!
Disclosure: I received a blogger appreciation gift for hosting this giveaway.

Today’s Spark – - Awesome Blog

2010-07-08T13:44:00.002-05:00

Love - Love this blog

it is a must read if you have an Etsy shop!

The Citrus Summer Camera Strap looks pretty great in their summer finds too!

Check out the link...

Handmade Spark - New Handmade Items From Our Fans

Etsy Treasury

2010-06-19T00:52:00.001-05:00

Pink Lime-aide

You know this is one of my favorite color combos...

Pink & Black

Classic

Picked for two Etsy Treasury’s in one week

What an honor!

I love looking at Etsy Tresurys it is a fun way to shop by collections.

An Etsy member-curated shopping gallery where members find the most beautiful items!!!

Watch out it can be very addicting!!!!

Making History Giveaway at Artsy Canvas Girl Designs

2010-05-28T12:12:00.003-05:00

My sister recently came for a visit. My kids loved spending time with their Aunt Kathy. She talked about all her ideas for her new business. We make a great team bouncing ideas off each other. It is great because who else can you give honest feedback to but your sister. Also we got to collaborate in person, so much easier then over the phone. She has always been so artistic and creative. It is wonderful to see that she can use her talents to create special custom wall art using photos and words.

I was lucky enough to have her design a special canvas that sits above my fireplace. Our whole family just loves what she did. I picked a really large canvas and I love that I can just look up and see my happy family anytime and the quality of the photo so crisp and vibrant.

Family

She also did some really awesome designs using my kids pictures.

The way she framed them with

special words made my kids feel like ROCKSTARS!

Jakob's Canvas

Aarika's Canvas

What do you think? My kids love - love them....

So make sure you head on over to her site to check out her awesome giveaway!

Making History Giveaway - Enter Here

Winner ~ Winner

2010-05-26T11:04:00.001-05:00

(shhhh ... okay say it "Chicken Dinner "- sorry I can't help it - it always gets stuck in my head)

Congrats to Tara

(True Random Number Generator Result: 134- Comment #134 TARA)

Who said: I would pick the Personalized So Spring Hot Pink and Lime Green Damask.

I look forward to making this for you!

It was fun to see that the most popular pick was the So Funky!

I Love – Love this line of fabric as you can see in my shop! I would almost say that Amy Butler and the Belle collection kind of got me into my designer fabric obsession. I always gravitate to her designs. Before I even started my Etsy shop I had bought a couple of yards of this orange/blue French wallpaper and some other coordinating fabrics in this line.

The stripes are great too! I just thought I could make something fabulous with it and wasn’t exactly sure what it would be. Who would have known it would be these camera strap covers!!! This line has been discontinued and last night I bought the last yard that I could find through my internet source, of course for twice as much as I paid originally. The orange/blue is great but in my searches I have found another color combo that has become my all time favorite fabric – I scoured the internet to find it because of course when I discovered it, it had already been discontinued. I even called the fabric manufacturer and confirmed that it had been discontinued and the best place to find any was on Etsy (of course)! So I did and bought it at a premium. I also found it at one of my other internet sources – I literally scrapped the bottom of the barrel and bought their remnants - I think they thought I was a little wacky but hey you only need so much for camera straps/covers! Here is a peak at it. What do you think?

I have a fun idea to go with it – I just need to catch up on some orders before I can show you though!

Thank you to everyone that participated!

Your so much Fun!!!

It was great to read your favorites! Wonderful to hear all the kind words!

I would like to welcome to all the new FaceBook Likes (mmm Fans) and new Blog Followers!

Thanks for all the sweetness – it is very inspiring!

Also Thanks Dang Gina for hosting my giveaway!

It’s a Gray & Yellow Day….

2010-05-21T12:45:00.001-05:00

It is such a gray day outside here in Minnesota - so I guess it is fitting that I am catching up on all my funky gray fabric orders. I just love the color combo of gray and yellow and have seen it popping up a lot lately. I had to get this Michael Miller fabric because I just loved the contrast.

My sister just started doing birth announcements and I insisted that she try the gray & yellow combo. I think it turned out great - what do you think? ArtsyCanvasGirl

Well at least it stopped raining and my hubby could get his golf game in and maybe we will get lucky and see some yellow rays of sun later.

Love to watch the traffic

2010-05-20T12:21:00.000-05:00

Just grabbed this cool widget.

It shows where traffic is coming in to your site. It is so much fun to see especially when running a giveaway. The internet is truly a global community.

Grab it for yourself at the bottom of my blog

Live Traffic Widget

http://feedjit.com/fg/

Dang Gina Giveaway

2010-05-19T08:41:00.000-05:00

It's that time again. Give-Away Time - Check out Gina's site for all the details: Dang Gina Give-Aways

http://dangginagives.blogspot.com/2010/05/sew-tamz-designs.html%20

Lil Models

2010-05-12T00:04:00.000-05:00

My sweet friend and very talented photographer, Christina of chrissiemarie Photography, was kind enough to snap some photos of my shirts with her own ‘lil’ models. Are they just adorable!!!

She also promotes my Minky Lil Blankies for all her newborn sessions in 2010! We have had so much fun creating fun color combinations to match the baby's nursery colors. If you peak through her newborns you may get a peak of some of these. I will have to share some in the future.

Lil Addicakes in her “a” double appliqué tutu shirt! These are so sweet.

http://www.chrissiemariephotography.com/blog/minneapolis-childrens-photographer/addison-minneapolis-child-photographer/

Taylor in his lil tie shirt! Love how she captured that look!!! This shirt has my favorite stripes from Amy Butler’s Belle collection…

http://www.chrissiemariephotography.com/blog/minneapolis-childrens-photographer/taylor-minneapolis-child-photographer/

Luck of the Irish

2010-03-17T11:14:00.000-05:00

Personalized Spring Camera Strap

Check out my Facebook Page for a discount code for St. Patty's Day. Get 10% off any item that has green in it! www.facebook.com/sewtamz. While you are there become a fan to get updates on new products & future specials/giveaways.

Pinks – Greens – Birds – Appliques and Tulle…

2010-03-06T02:51:00.000-06:00

Pinks, Greens, Birds, and Appliques have been stuck in my head for weeks.

Maybe it is because I am longing for spring.

Looking out of my Minnesota window spring still seems a long ways away.

Slowly the snow & ice is melting. This week this Cali girl learned all about ice damns. I learned that they can cause water to pour through your roof & down through the garage light socket. I learned that they make really – really long rakes to get snow off of your roof. I also learned that these don’t help very much when the ice is ten inches thick & there is 2 feet of snow on top of the roof. Finally I learned that ice damns are really -really expensive because you have to pay 2 guys hundreds of dollars to come steam your roof for 2 hours.

Well anyways spring is almost here and the snow is melting….. I have been accumulating pinks and greens for weeks and have birds popping up everywhere I look on the internet.

My appliqué projects have been haunting me at the bottom of the piles under all that pink and green tulle/chiffon/organza.

I have gotten some of the pinks and greens out of my head -- Here are the first items in my spring line of camera strap covers.

I just love the two colors together….

My daughter created this beautiful vase at school with some of my colors.

Along the way I found this gorgeous new baroque minky.

When I saw it I just had to have it. Even better I found that there is a minky distributor right here down the road. So I can pick it up without even paying shipping…. I really don't like paying for shipping - lots of times I won't buy something on the internet if the shipping is too high!

Here the green minky worked wonderfully with this Amy Butler fabric that I have been holding onto.

As far as the birds and appliqué – I have some grand appliqué plans coming real soon and better yet I get to incorporate them into my daughter’s birthday party too…. It will be so fun! I can not believe that she is turning 9 in a few days… Wow she is getting so grown up! So pinks, greens appliqués & tulle will be buzzing around my sewing machine very soon & knowing me right up until it is party time.

As far as those birds they will have to wait next to some daisies that I am looking for….

I Put my Engineering Cap On

2010-03-04T15:20:00.001-06:00

Before kids I used to be a software engineer -- it was actually quite rewarding. Figuring out problems basically in virtual air - that is how I think of computer programming. I am a puzzle person - you feel accomplishment when the puzzle is complete & it is a bummer when you are missing pieces.

So a customer wanted a lens cap holder for the camera strap - easy enough right. Except lens caps are the same width as the straps that I make. I have made wider straps with lens caps but personally I do not like the wider strap - it does not lie as nicely and the strap loses some of its sophistication when it gets wider. So I came up with a solution:

A lens cap pocket sleeve that will fit on any camera strap cover!

It is wonderful because it slips right on any camera strap cover - so if you have already invested in some straps – not realizing that you needed a lens cap pocket but realize it would have been really nice - whoa la! These will come in basic colors too! Monogrammed with initials to make them pop - I think will make them pretty fun!

It is a dual pocket so you can put your lens cap on one side & memory card/filters or other things on the other side. Even business cards & credit cards.

I have big plans for it too - some cute spring ideas - so stay tuned!

Find it on my ETSY site: Sew Tamz Designs on Etsy

And The Winner is….

2010-03-02T01:23:00.000-06:00

Jennifer was one of the hundreds of entries; even one as far away as Greece (isn’t the internet amazing)!

JJ had two entries one for hearting my Etsy Shop and one for choosing a favorite item (hearting it via Etsy).

It is so fun looking at the hearts in my shop and there is a really cool site that gives the info in an easy format. Check out CraftCult. I think it is a must for anyone running an Etsy Shop.

Thanks so much to everyone that participated!
Your Awesome!!!
I had so much fun reading all your favorites!

I would like to welcome to all the new FaceBook Fans and Etsy Shop Hearts!

Also Thanks for all the sweetness – it is very inspiring!

~♥ ♥ Follow Your Heart Giveaway ♥ ♥~

2010-02-12T13:10:00.000-06:00

I’ve wanted to start a blog for a while. I find that I can get lost in the blog world moving from blog to blog for hours. Not even knowing how I started or how I got where I ended up at. So how do I get started? I stumbled upon a blog www.tidymom.net which if you know me - it would not exactly be what you would think I would be me reading. Who has time to be tidy when there are so many things to create? I thought it may be a good place to get some pointers and give me some much needed help. Well anyways tidymom had an awesome giveaway for Valentine’s Day heart shaped pan with a yummy cherry cake recipe. Needless to say I did not win but I have come up with a little giveaway of my own. Here’s how the giveaway works. Since it is the month of love and hearts; and I just got my Etsy shop off the ground. What a better way to start then a Follow your Heart Giveaway!

If you are new to ETSY (Your place to buy all things handmade) you may not know all about the ♥~♥ HEARTS ♥~♥. Etsy is kind of like blogs - you start one place & then who knows where you can end up. A heart is a way of saving (bookmarking) your favorite place – you can heart a shop or a particular item. This is then saved to your profile under favorite shops or favorites (items) so you can find them again.

♥~♥ ♥~♥ HOW YOU CAN WIN ♥~♥ ♥~♥ Leave a separate comment for each thing that you do – also make sure you leave your blog or email so I can contact you.

(Required)

1. visit my ETSY shop sewtamz.etsy.com and tell me your favorite item. (give the item an heart or leave a comment here)

(additional entries – one entry for each that you do)

2. Heart my Shop (www.sewtamz.etsy.com)

3. Make a purchase...tell me about it.

4. Follow/subscribe to my blog.

5. Become a fan on my facebook page (www.facebook.com/sewtamz)

6. Blog, tweet or facebook about this giveaway-tell me that you did.

♥~♥ ♥~♥ WHAT YOU WIN ♥~♥ ♥~♥
(Camera Sleeve Cover – Personalized with your Initials - as pictured)

Entries taken through the month of February
Winner will be randomly chosen and announced March 1st, 2010.

Thanks for participating and Good Luck!

Under Construction

2010-01-22T11:56:00.000-06:00

Please check back soon! Thanks