Ammee’s Idea Book #2 – “Lullaby crochet edges for baby blankets”

For those of you who have requested more patterns for edging around your blankets and bibs; we have put together another volume of original designs, we’re sure you will find them easy to do and just plain fun to try them all out.  Here’s a sneak preview of the patterns included in our next book.

With our Double Delight, Lucy Locket and Rockabye Ric-Rac patterns, you will have a delightful variety of patterns to try on your next project.   You will also want to try Tiny Back Steps, Under the Sea Shells and XoXo; these patterns are great for novices and when you want a great gift without having to spend endless hours making it.

Ammee’s Idea Book #2 will be available August 1st.

 

Lavender & Sky Blue, the smell n color of summer!

Summer is finally here!  We have waited for so long to smell the lavender fields and have craved to see the clear blue sky.  After much rain, which I know we all need, I feel so invigorated by the sounds and smells of summer; I’m glad is finally here and with it our new kits!  We are happy to introduce for the month of July, Lavender Dots, Boy Blue Dots, Tickle Pink Fleece and Sky Blue Fleece kits, blankets, bibs and burps.  Have a fabulous independence month!

 

Looking for our next cover baby

We are looking for our next ‘cover baby’!  We are working on the cover of our next idea book and we thought it would be great to invite all of you to participate.  Please email us your best baby picture, (up to one year olds), it can be a snap shot or a studio photograph, we will let you know if your baby will be our next ‘cover baby’.  If your photograph is chosen, you will need to mail us a high resolution electronic version of your photo, a tiff or high quality jpeg file.  Don’t worry, we’ll let you know how and where to send it.  You will receive 5 complimentary copies of our idea book and our newest kit if you have the winning picture!  Deadline to submit your picture is July 15th.  So, start digging for those oh-so-cute baby pictures and show them off!

 

Riley Blake Designs Just Dreamy pattern is finally here

Riley Blake Designs®  ‘Just Dreamy’ pattern is finally here!

This is a case of crossing over, yes, a scrapbook designing company, My Mind’s Eye (MME) crossing over to the quilting industry making textiles, which is great for everyone.  I know, this is just crazy, when I first saw Riley’s patterns I was drulling over them, it’s been a few months since then, and now they are finally here, you will be able to choose from a complete kit, blankets only, bibs and burps too.  Most of the patterns were made in cotton rather than flannel, so, if you see a bunch of My Mind’s Eye (MME) patterns at your local quilt shop, remember, the flannel selection is limited.  Since this is a designer’s pattern the price of course is higher, remember, the designer has to make a royalty, so prices are higher.  The flannel quality is also better, hence, instead of being mid-weight flannel, we have labeled it heavy-weight, a bit thicker than our regular flannels. 

We hope you will love ‘Just Dreamy’ as much as we do, we have added the skus to our shopping cart, however, they will not be shipped until after June 15th.  Remember, if you are planning on using your 40% off coupon, the discount will not be taken out at the time of check out, I know, our shopping cart is not set up to discount only one item, so we have to manually apply the discount here before your order is shipped.  The good news is you can use your discount on this new item.  Cheers!

 

Idea Book #1 available now

Here we are, May is almost over; we had a wonderful time in Portland at the CGOA consumer show, we met lots of crocheters, green trees all over, perfect 70 degree weather, not a cloud in the blue skies, breathing that wonderful clean air.  Our new idea book was a hit, we sold one with every order!  We’re so glad that we now have a book specifically for our blankets;  So this is it, we’re already working on #2, should be available by the end of July along with a few more new products.  We’ll keep you posted.

Ammee’s Idea Book #1 – fancy crochet edges for baby blankets, learn more.

 

Ammee’s Idea Book and Christening Minky Blanket

We’ve been working on our idea book for some time; our products are exclusive making it a natural fit to bring you an idea book that works specifically for them.  Ammee’s Fancy Crochet Edges for Baby Blankets idea book is another product we are happy to bring to you.  We are expecting our first shipment by the middle of May, make sure to check back our blog for updates.  I’m sorry, discounts will not apply to the idea book.

Product specifications:  Ammee’s Fancy Crochet Edges for Baby Blankets is a 12 page, full color idea book.  It features 6 easy to crochet original patterns for beginners to advanced crocheters.  Beginners will love crocheting our Sweet Pea, So Berry Scallops and Duck, Duck, Goose patterns; in addition, our Over the Rainbow, Fancy Princess and Bonjour Butterfly patterns will tickle you pink.  Each step is illustrated with easy to follow instructions.  Retail price is $6.95, available now! 

Ammee’s Babies is also proud to introduce the Minky Christening Blanket.  This beautiful blanket was designed for that very special event for your baby.   With Minky on one side and Satin on the back, this blankee is sure to become your babies favorite, it will also impress every one at your baby shower or Christening day.  We crocheted the edge with our Bonjour Butterfly pattern, instructions included in our new idea book, we used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerrino white yarn, this blanket is pure luxury and softness for your baby!  We finished it with a touch of soft ribbon.

Product specifications for Minky Christening Blanket:  this blanket is being sold as a blanket only, blanket size is 36″ x 36″, retail price is $46.95, available June 15th.  We’re sorry, discounts will not apply to Minky Christening Blanket.  Please note that embossed Minky patterns may vary due to availability.

 

Birdie Fleece Blanket, new for this month

We’re sure you will enjoy May’s new product, our fleece baby blankets.  This is the first time we have hemstitched on Fleece, we really like how it turned out, please note that these blankets are not double-sided like the flannel blankets.  The fleece is mid-weight and it has the same color on both sides. 

Product specifications:  Blanket is 36″ x 36″, the burp cloth is 7-1/2″ x 17-1/2″, the kit includes both, plus thread, hook and instructions.  When you order the blanket only, you will need to purchase additional supplies to complete the blanket.  To buy fleece kit or blanket, click here.

 

Planning a vacation. . .

Planning a vacation is not an easy task; I’m sure you’ll agree.  We have been planning our vacation to Central America for the last three months!  I can see why staying at home looks so appealing!  Granted the internet makes it so much easier to find information, book flights, hotels and entertainment, it has taken a great deal of planning, coordinating, learning, and energy to finalize our plans.  Having been to Panama, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, I’m really looking forward to our trip to Guatemala. 

We’re planning on taking Ammee’s Baby Blankets down to Guatemala on this trip; we have contacted a non-profit group that helps midwives with training and educational seminars, the blankets will be given to newborns delivered by these midwives; I’m hoping to post some pics of our trip when we get back.  Since we are a small company, I have two partners, and since I’m the only one that updates our website, blog, twitter, our Etzy shop, and our Shophandmade.com shop, I guess not much will be happening in terms of letting you know what we’re up to, until I get back:)  Please be patient and check back with us at the end of the month for new updates on new products.  Yes, we do have a new product for May, the info will go up at the end of this month, for now, till I return, enjoy spring!

 

Ammee’s Free Crochet Pattern – So Berry Scallops

Our So Berry Scallops Crochet pattern is easy and fun to do.   This is a four row pattern that you’ll be able to finish in no time!  We hope you’ll enjoy embellishing your bibs or blankets with it.
To download our So Berry Scallops Crochet pattern, click here.

 

Undercover Babÿ, newest addition to our family. . .

Undercover Babÿ™ – Car Seat Canopy  Exclusive product by Ammee

I believe we’ve all had this experience before; it  goes like this, your baby is finally asleep, and you sure would like him/her to remain asleep for as long as possible, at least until you go into the fabric shop and pick up the fabric you’ve been dying to buy for your next project!  You walk into the store and there, to your surprise, is someone that wants to tickle your baby, of course, we all know what the dreaded result of this encounter is, your baby is now awake, AND crying!-there goes your dream of shopping for your favorite fabrics while your baby sleeps:(  With that in mind, we have designed the Undercover Babÿ™ - Car Seat Canopy  just for times like this; yes, our babies are our superstars!  It sends a message loud and clear to all those around that says ‘hands off’, ‘do not disturb’, ‘baby’s sleeping’!  You’ll be able to preorder them by the end of this week, however, we will not be shipping until the end of March.

Just a heads up on the finishing; after you crochet around the edge of your Undercover Babÿ™ Car Seat Canopy, you can proceed to sew the straps and embellish them any way you’d like; we finished our Green Dots with cute bows and crocheted flowers, the Cocoa Berry has two silk flowers we picked up at our local craft store, AND, please note that our Tiny Stars shield is made with 100% cotton designer fabric instead of cotton flannel, the Cocoa Berry and the Green Dots shields are made with mid-weight 100% cotton flannel.

The kit will include, one Undercover Babÿ™, two straps, crochet thread and crochet hook, and ‘how to’ instructions, all packaged in a cute box.  Additional supplies needed, (not included with kit), to complete project: 1/4 yard of 1″ Velcro™; 2 yards of 1/2″ ribbon or any other embellishment you might want to use to decorate the straps. 

Special Features: Fits both newborn and infant car seats.  Paparazzi proof shield that means ‘hands off’.  Protects baby from the cold, sun, wind, germs, and strangers! Double sided, 100% cotton. Reusable gift box and tag.

 

Mommy n Me set

Mommy & Me Set
Ok, so this is a limited time offer; I decided to make a doll hemstitch blanket because of my grand daughter, Madison, she loves her dolls a ton and it seems that she’s bundling one up every where she goes!  She also loves to play with her baby sister, Lucy, and many times I think Madison thinks of her little sister as just another doll; however, Lucy does not like to be bundle up like a doll.  I decided it would be wonderful for Madison to have a matching blanket for her dolls, one that matched Lucy’s blanket.  When I asked Maddy, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ she replied, ‘I want to be like my mommy’.  Now Madison can bundle her doll in the same kind of blankee her mommy uses for little sister.  I hope you enjoy making a matching doll blanket for that special ‘big sister’.  Available for sale now.

The Fibersphere Product Review
This is one of my findings at one of the many trade shows we attended last year.  I had actually bought a different container to protect my yarn at my local craft store, then, I found the Fibersphere, needless to say, I wished to return the first container.  I have used both, and the Fibersphere is actually the better product, not as bulky, better design.  It still has a few issues, like it does roll over if you just set it on the floor, basically, you have to keep it in your craft bag, but it does protect your yarn/thread.  It comes in white and pink, and it’s available now at our online store.

 

Bib Buddies for the fun of it

Even though I love winter, yes, call me crazy, I’m always ready for the next thing; I love change, and this is one of the most welcomed changes of all, winter to spring.  I finally got around finishing these samples, this project comes to all of you squished between birthday parties, trips, church and more.  I hope you enjoy them, I know you are all busy mothers and grandmothers, so we need easy weekend crafts; what would life be without crafting?  Boring I say, that creative part inside all of us would never have a chance to show what’s deep inside our hearts, crafting I believe, allows us to peek at those divine elements within us.  Cheers!

Download the PDF file for each applique pattern, for Wiggly Pig click here, for Cupcake Sundae click here, for Lazy Bear click here.  These applique patterns can be for both, girls and boys, we used a blanket stitch to attach the different layers.

 

Three Cute Edgings for Bibs. . .

If you’re wondering what type of edging or how to decorate your bibs, take a look at these ideas!

For the Shell Edging Instructions, click here.  For the Backstep Edging Instructions, click here.  For the Princess Edging Instructions, click here.

 

March 2009 New Products!

More new products, accessories and free patterns coming soon!
I have to say that we are very excited about some of the new things we have coming up in March. We know the economy is bad, more and more people are loosing their jobs, my aunt was laid off this week, after working at an investment firm for the last twenty years; other family members are also wondering if they will have a job for much longer:) so we understand the economic situation we are all in; and hopefully, our new products will brighten up any gloomy days you might be having! On the bright side of things, in March we will be introducing our Car Seat Canopy, we have finished the prototype and has turned out to be so beautiful! We have a photo session scheduled for next week, and hopefully, we’ll have the pictures on our site by the end of the month! You will find this canopy extremely useful, not only will you protect your baby from the wind, cold, sun, etc., but your baby will also be undisturbed by light when sleeping.

Cocoa-Berry Kit
For some reason brown and pink are a combination I can’t resist, maybe it’s because it reminds me of chocolate covered cherries, or Neapolitan ice cream, or scented soaps, all of them favorite things of mine, who knows! -I just know that I love these two colors together, so, naturally, I found this flannel and found a way to use it, watch out for our new Cocoa-Berry Kit coming next month, again, it should be available for pre-order by the end of this week.

BIG Buttons and BIG Snaps!
Don’t forget to check our new BIG buttons and snaps section! I love them all; the buttons are BIG, two inches in diameter! And come in six luscious candy colors…the snaps come in silver and brass finishes, I haven’t figure out how to use them on a project, they were so nice I just had to have them, I’ll figure out later how to use them on a project, if you have any ideas, please let me know:).

Scrapbook Designers Crossover to Fabric Designing
If you are a designer, you soon realize that your artwok can be used in more than one industry; I have attended the Quilt Show for many years, and in the last couple of shows I’ve noticed an increase in designers from the Scrapbook industry crossing over to the Quilt industry.  This is a win-win situation for every one, Scrapbook companies expand their sales and quilters and fabric users in general will benefit by having more delightful patterns to choose from:).  We will be the first company to introduce designer baby receiving blankets, bibs, burps, car seat canopies, and more in two beautiful designer flannels created by a leading scrapbook company;  the flannel will be heavy-weight and of course, yes, the kits will be introduced at a higher price, designer fabrics in general cost more.  You will be able to pre-order these products by the middle of April and we hope to start shipping by mid May.  Please stay tune and keep checking back our blog for more updates.  

FREE Patters coming soon!
Last, we will be uploading free PDF files of patters to decorate your bibs or blankets! These patterns are so cute! We are in the process of hand making the samples, you will be able to get some ideas of how to use them, our first patterns are, Lazy Bear, Dreamy Cupcake and Wiggly Pig, you can use these patterns for both, girl or boy, use them to decorate your bibs and receiving blankets too!

 

New Products for February

TNNA show in San Diego, more new products coming February: Car Seat Canopy & Embellishments!
Of course we had to have an excuse to take my new natural gas car to San Diego, yeap, TNNA.  The National NeedleArts Association trade show was taking place in SD over the weekend.  We were able to stop and shop for a few hours, check to see what’s new and exciting in the yarn and thread industry and pick up a few goodies.  Make sure to check back to see what’s new; we will be posting pictures of the new products soonJ.

Our new product for February is an awesome Baby Car Seat Canopy.  This useful baby shield will keep your baby protected from the cold winter winds and snow and will protect him/her from the sun on those hot sunny days.  We suggest you try finishing the edge our traditional way, with a crochet edging, or you may finish the edge with satin or any other way you might want, let your creativity guide you!  We picked up a couple of embellishment at TNNA to finish your canopy; make it fun and playful with our new big, round, colorful, eye candy buttons or make it fancy with a touch of ribbon.  Enjoy!

California here we come!
For those of you wondering if you can drive to San Diego from SLC in a natural gas car, here’s some helpful information.  So, I finally got my green Honda NGV, and I’m ready to try it out and push it to its limits.  I get on www.cngchat.com and start searching for gas stations along I-15 from Provo to San Diego, I actually live in Highland, but the first gas station is in Orem, which is right next to ProvoJ; I found great info at www.cleancarmaps.com, for stations in Nevada and California, I print the list of gas stations that sell natural gas in Utah, Nevada and California and we are on our way!  We leave Orem with a full tank; Orem has a great gas station with very easy freeway access, open 24/7 and takes VisaJ. Next we stop in Fillmore, UT, this was a bit scary, the pump actually smelled like gas and we were a little intimidated by how old it was; you have to pay inside, it doesn’t take a credit card and we are told they close at 10:00 pm M-S, this means, on the way back we have to make sure we make it by 10:00 to that gas station, or we will be stranded for the nightL.  Our next stop is in St. George, UT, we find that the gas station there is a Shell location right off the freeway, it takes Visa and it’s open 24/7, I’m so excited we’ve made it to St. George!  We make a stop in Vegas, the station there is off Cheyenne exit, new and well kept, the pressure is great, off we go to the next stop in Barstow, we got off the wrong exit, so we actually had to drive the length of Main street to find the city’s refill station on the other end of town, the pressure was great, we did get off the right exit on our way back, and found the gas stations just off the 58 freeway, the station was clean and well kept.  We have plenty of fuel to get us to San Diego, where we arrive with a quarter of a tank; we filled up at the Shell gas station by the airport, also a regular gas station with a great pump.  We make our way back stopping at the same locations, total fuel cost, $56.50 for the round trip, my NGV Honda performed great with a total of 34 miles per gallon!  All in all, our trip was uneventful and fun, even if the prices for regular gas were about the same as natural gas, zero emissions is definitely a plusJ.  

Your NGV car is here, would you like to come and pick it up?
After six months on a waiting list, I finally received a call from the dealer.  My Tea Leaf Green Honda Civic has arrived!  It’s a bit scary to think about how limited my choices will be of places to gas up, one station in Orem, about 15 minutes south from my home and a few more around the SL area, and that’s it!  I ask the salesman, can I drive it to San Diego?  “Sure”, he says, “I’ve heard of customers making the trip down there, you’ll have to research where the gas stations are along the way”.  I pick up my new car with anticipation; I hope it will be as nice as I remember it, the color mostly, I’ve always had a thing for black cars, and now I’m buying a tea leaf green one???

I’m delighted with the color and we drive it home, my excitement grows as I tell my husband, let’s go to San Diego next weekend!  I really want to know if it’s possible to drive my new natural gas car to SD, I want to know how much it will cost me and I want to test the possibilities.  So, last week we decided we would go to San Diego and do a thing or two while we’re there.

My commitment to go green. . .Go Prius!
After I was introduced to the many possibilities on how to be a better citizen of the world, and with the desire to make my life simpler, and greener, I don’t know if this had to do with being in my late forties, but regardless, I felt the need for a change; first, I started to read more about our environmental issues, then I hooked up with www.treehugger.com, where I learned many tips on how to be green!  I was also tired of my gas-guzzler, black, Land Rover, I was ready for a greener car.  I researched for months, surfing the internet and checking out chat rooms, where green people go, you know; that’s were I found out about the Prius.  I decided I was ready for a green change and I finally went for it, I traded in my Land Rover for a Prius.  Needless to say, I’ve had my Prius for over two and a half years, with over 69K miles and still performing to my pleasing, I have to say that I loved and still love it.  Is it bad to love a car??? I don’t know, but I love this one!  Of course, since I was getting 43 miles per gallon, yeah, I know, I was never able to go above 43, even though some people claim above 50s, mine just didn’t want to do thatL, however, 43 has been great for meJ, my boys always wanted to borrow it for long trips, specially last summer when gas prices hit over 4 bucks per gallon.  I have to say that, if you ever want to make the move, I can tell you that my Prius has been a great little green car, we took it to San Diego, several times, it has been every where!!!  AND still does, AND, I have never had a problem with it, it has a lot of torque, speed, with aggressive tires, it performs well when we have tons of snow, yeah, if you don’t invest into a good set of snow tires, you will be sliding all over the road, and for some reason, the Prius just stops as soon as it senses it’s slippingL, my husband hated it when it did that, that’s why he took off one day and went and got new tires for itJ.

Well, my little Prius is ready to be traded in for an even greener car, I have done a lot of research on NGVs, (natural gas vehicles), and the idea of having a car that has zero emissions was very inviting.  After weeks and weeks of research on the internet and talking to people that owned one, I decided to go for it; I went to Larry H. Miller, in SLC, put my $500 deposit on it, and went on their waiting list; I was proudly number 390 on their waiting list!  It would take six months to get my Honda Civic NGV, Tea Leaf Green, and basic model.  I have no problem waiting, I’m not in a hurry, I still have my Prius and it should be go through the gas price craze.  So I wait, for six months, hoping that some one would drop off the list and by some miracle I get moved up to the front, but, no such luck.