All Good Things Must Come to An End

...and some good things come to an end long before we want them to.

It seems that just as soon as a really got rolling and had a stack of great ideas for all of my customers (read: friends), that the rug is pulled out from under me. 

Due to some new light on old laws and new interpretations of who has to follow those laws as well as stricter enforcement and new policies pertaining to these laws, I am sad to announce that I am shutting down Star Spangled Babies.

As a mother, child safety is a serious concern for me.  As a Christian, being a law-abiding citizen is also serious business.  Child safety laws are in place to protect our children against anything potentially harmful.  While I am satisfied that all my products are safe (I use them with my own children), the government can not be satisfied of my  product safety without rigorous testing.  New laws that will soon go into effect require lead testing of all products used for children and babies as well as testing for BPA (the chemical that used to be found in plastic).  In order for me to sell my products, I would have to have them tested (very expensive) and labeled appropriately.  This is too expensive for my business as I couldn't test just one burp towel and be good.  Every time I change a material (i.e. fabrics or threads) I would have to have the product retested.  Since my work is custom, I would have to test everything. 

With the new laws in place and becoming active soon, I have decided to pull out of the "baby stuff" business.  If the government saw fit to make it easier for cottage industries like my own to be compliant, I might consider re-opening, but for the time being I will cease to operate. 

However, I have not stopped being creative, nor have I stopped sewing.  You can still get cool creations for MOM  (or any other person over the age of 12) over at my other business, Star Spangled Bags.  That's right.  Star Spangled Bags is back in full swing.  I am working on a whole line of ladies' accessories right now.  I have some awesome stuff headed your way in the coming weeks.  Please share your love of Star Spangled Babies with Star Spangled Bags.  Head over there and check us out! 

Thank you to all of you who stopped by, supported me, and bought stuff.  I  haven't gone away, I've just changed a little bit!

And the winner is........Diape, Wipe and Go!

Although I didn't go with her actual suggestion, it did spur my creativity in the new name so in my world that counts and ERICA wins!  Thanks, Erica, for a great suggestion.  Please drop me an email at starspangledbabies@gmail.com with your contact info so we can get you some stuff!


Because I have this insane desire to make sure everyone feels like a winner (could it be the middle child in me? or just that I like giving people stuff...) and because there were only two other people who submitted suggestions (one came over facebook) I have decided to reward each of them with a custom Diape, Wipe and Go.  Spring and Christi, please contact me so we can work out your fabric selections.   Thanks ladies for giving me a hand!

CONTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!! WINNER GETS FREE SSB STUFF!!

UPDATE:  If you have tried to post a comment before and had trouble, I think I fixed it.  If you leave a comment as "anonymous" please don't forget to sign your name to the bottom of the post.  Come back on Monday for the winner!

I just finished two changing pads/diaper and wipe holders for a sweet friend of mine who recently had a baby.  These were previously know as my Diapey-wipeys, but as there is another industrious mama out there who has an equally creative mind and snagged this title (although spelled differently), I opted to come up with a new name for mine.  If you have cute creative suggestions for a cool name for this, please drop them in the comments of this post.  I will select a winner (totally up to my choice as I will be stuck with this name on my stuff) and announce it here on the SSB blog.

Notice that these now come in two sizes.  Small and Large.  The small ones are perfect for newborns and small babies.  The larger ones work great for older babies with larger diapers!

While you scratch your head and throw me some ideas, here are my sweet friend's two new ones to look at for inspiration!  Remember.  These are changing pads AND diaper and wipes holders.

The winner will receive a $25 credit toward any item of his/her choice (like I have any "dude" readers/customers, but for p.c.'s sake...).  I don't just do baby, remember I also do purses and probably anything else you could come up with.

Okay without further rambling on my part:

A Change is Coming

Very soon you will notice some changes here at Star Spangled  Babies.  My good friend Jamie over at Jamie's Custom Creations is working up some wonderful changes for Star Spangled Babies.  Please check back in the coming weeks to see her wonderful work.  Until then, keep checking back as I am getting back to work in a BIG WAY because my new sewing machine FINALLY came!  I am truly motivated to make more wonderful things for all of you!!  As I make things I will not only be adding them to my blog but also to my Etsy shop.  So hit the link at the right and make me a favorite of  yours over there too!

Nursery Bedding

I do custom nursery bedding as well as baby accessories. I unfortunately have no pictures yet of my recent products. If you would like to see a sample please jump on over to my friend's blog and check out her recent post about her nursery. I am responsible for the quilt and the curtains.

Here are some alternate pictures of a few of the items I offer.

This is the diapey-wipey.
This is one of a set of burp towels. I can make three towels all exactly alike or mix them up with different, yet coordinating fabrics.



Another travel wipe case.



This is the diapey-wipey unfolded.
Another diapey wipey

This is a taggie lovey made with pink minky fabric.

This is a set of custom boutique burp towels. They come 3 to a set even though there are only two shown. $10 /set.This is a custom travel wipe case. $10


Carseat blanket

I came up with this design because I was tired of bulky blankets falling off the infant carrier as I was walking. This is made of fleece and flannel so it is very warm yet light weight enough to tuck around your baby while he's in the infant carrier. It can be used in the stroller once baby outgrows the carrier. It also works great for your little girl's babydoll cradle.

$15


Taggie Lovey $20

This a a small lovey-sized blanket for your little darling. It is made out of two different fabrics to give texture (I often use minky on one side). I use all different kinds of ribbons to create the "tags" to give baby a variety of sensory experiences. This is the lovey your child will carry around for years. It can be customized to coordinate with all other items.




Diapey-Wipey $15

This is a diaper and wipe case holder as well as a changing pad. It is lined with terrycloth to give you the best fabric for a changing pad. I always hated laying my baby on the cold vinyl ones that came in diaper bags and the custom made ones I have found are often lined with fleece (I'm from Texas, it makes me sweat thinking about it) or flannel. It can also be used to mop up messes when the need arises (not that I would know about that....ah hem.)