hello fall...

the line up at our house

finally it is starting to feel like fall around here!
sun is shining, but the breeze is crisp, as are the leaves.
and we finally harvested our pumpkins! one tiny little starter plant gave us 10 pumpkins! don't you think we should go into the pumpkin business? just kidding. i think 2 businesses is enough for one chickety-chick.

i know, SUPER overexposed pic,
but i loooove that little face!

the boys are in heaven. henry runs around saying "pup-kin! pup-kin! pup-kin!" and wants to sit surrounded by all 10 of them.

again, over-exposed, but come on. cute kid? yes siree.

AND since i am in a fall-kind-of-mood, here is a sneak peek at my new fall limited edition rosies... coming soon!!

cinnamon, pumpkin, spice, and october...

i'm so in love with the yummy colors, they just make me want to go bake some pumpkin bread and stomp through the leaves... happy fall!

introducing: wish list wednesdays!!!

i am so happy to introduce a new series to you today!

every wednesday from now until christmas some sweet readers will be sharing their lovely lists with you.

sound fun?!i think so!

but don't think i'm letting myself off the hook so easily.

since i have the queen bee market on the brain, can i share with you a few things i may just have to break into the cash register to buy while i'm there?! (i kid. i would never EVER do that. rob a bank, maybe. steal candy from a baby? probably (shouldn't be eating candy anyway, right?) but from my lovely little bees? NEVER.)

ahem.

on to the list:

left to right, top to bottom:

little shredder tees: my boys already have short sleeves and hoodies, but i wish i had one for every day of the week. i think i hope that just by wearing them they will remember that they are california boys even though we are (temporarily) far from home.

crystal b's "collier nie nie": as seen on miss nie nie herself, i fell in love with this necklace forever ago, and it may just have to be mine! "all is well" - such a good thing to remember on the day to day.

emily sparks' blooming slouchy beret: be still my flower-loving heart! and since the snow is just around the corner, i'm pretty sure this is a "NEED."

heidi devlin's "&" pillow: the hubs just threw away our pillows because he officially classified them as "biohazardous." let's just say babies and throw pillows aren't a match made in heaven. would love to stock up on some pretty ones (that will stay far away from the children...)

i heart baby's beanies: (see aforementioned snow...) again, my boys "NEED" these. i die.

mommy holly's bee tags: a bee! a tag! could it beeee (hee hee) any cuter?

natty bratty's tweed bow: i must say, next to rosettes, bows have my heart. ugh. i love a good bow. not a frilly, girly, prissy bow, but a classic, sort of preppy, sort of edgy bow? yes, please!

the pleated poppy's petal pusher in gray: (are you sensing i have a thing for gray?!) love these. have tried to make them before, but i think i'll leave that to the master. if they came in yellow, i might buy a million. (hint, hint linds...)

stacey winter's paper glitter garland: my boys would trash this in one fell swoop, but a girl can dream, can't she!? it is so pretty and simple, but glittery!! oooh... shiny!

seriously, i could go on, and on. but i won't. 

i hope you'll have fun looking at all the yummy eye candy in the next several weeks! 

tell your wallet (or your husband) that i can't be responsible for any wreckless spending, mmmkay?

xo. jess

ONE MONTH!!

holy moly, i can't believe it.
do you know what is going on ONE MONTH FROM TODAY?
you don't?
where on earth have you been?
i'll give you a few hints:

can you imagine this much awesomeness all under one roof?! and then some?!?! for 2 days!?!?!

if you are within 1,000 miles, get yourself to the Queen Bee Market for heaven's sake!!

make it a girls weekend. 

leave your kids with the hubs.

meet some of the most amazing women and hear their handmade stories.

get all of your christmas shopping done in ONE stop. and know that you are supporting some fabulous handmade artists in the process. 

mique and i have been working so hard to go bigger and better, and i am CERTAIN that the holiday market will not disappoint. 

honest.

can't wait to meet you there.

(you're coming right?)

(DO IT!!)

deets:

the queen bee market

november 12th (4-9 pm) and 13th (9-4 pm)

the del mar hilton grand ballroom

15575 jimmy durante blvd. del mar, ca 92014

thequeenbeemarket.com

ok, I know I'm lame, don't tell me...

but I just barely (and FINALLY) figured out how to put a button and a grab code on my sidebar!
please don't lecture me about tech-savvy-ness. i know. i know. but html? may as well be mumbo-jumbo.
do me a favor, would ya? link a sister up! because that was a huge (lame) hurdle right there. let's not let it be all for naught, eh?
look, i'll even put it right here for you:


<center><a href="http://www.allorahandmade.bigcartel.com/"><img src="http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l535/jessicamerickson/allorabutton1.jpg" border="0" alt="allora button" /></a>"/></center>

i'm exhausted now.
peace.

customer updates

hi sweet customers!
this month has been a crazy one, and I just wanted to thank you! we are so excited about the growth of allora handmade and thank you for your patience as we learn to accommodate our increasing customer base. if you have placed an order recently, thank you! the current turn around time is about 2 weeks. all orders placed before 9/30 have been shipped... hooray! this weekend i will be diligently working on orders from 9/30 to 10/3. if you have any questions about shipping or my policies, please visit my policy page here.

THANK YOU! HAPPY FRIDAY!!

fall?

it feels like we skipped fall and went straight to winter over here. we went so quickly from the 90's to rain every day and have been adjusting to life INSIDE. oh winter, please be nice to us this year.

please, do tell. how are you planning to keep your kids sane for the next 6-8 months? (just typing that freaks me out!!)

while you're thinking about wish lists...

can i suggest you add one thing?

i was lucky enough to get my hands on the most amazing  much ado about you calendar while i was at TCC.

uh. i die. lit-rally.

(channeling my inner rachel zoe)

i don't know how i ever lived without this beauty. keeps me sane. (you know my love for lists...)

you had me at leopard print tabs... yeeeoow!!

my favorite thing (besides the adorable cover with my adorable kids) is the layout. i so neeeeeed a calendar that has a weekly calendar as well as a monthly. and week days with hours from 6am to 10pm - because really, 9 to 5? i wish i kept those hours!

i have relied on this baby to help keep all of my many projects organized and to plan out my week in advance to minimize the crazy. AND it's cute. 

the best part? emmy is having a huge sale right now! AND today is the last day to apply to become an official calendar ambassador. (check it out)

have you added a new calendar to your list yet? DO IT. (and thank me later.)

was that forceful? sorry 'bout that. ahem.

p.s. thanks to those of you who have emailed me about guest posting! i am excited for all of you to share your wish lists with us. i'll be getting more information out to you soon!

wish list?

found here

lately i've been hearing this a lot:
"your necklaces are AMAZING! on my wish list!"
"everything in your shop is so pretty! adding to my christmas list right now!"

and after a few comments/tweets/emails about these "lists" i started thinking...
lists?
hmmm...
i mean, don't get me wrong. i'm flattered.
AND  i'm a sucker for lists.
i can't function without a to-do list.
in fact, i'm the type that is crazy enough about lists that when i do something that wasn't on my list, i add it just so i can cross it off.
annoying, i know. (can we still be friends?)
but, wish lists?
nope. not really.
i mean, if i can afford to get something, i get it.
if i can't, i don't.
sort of boring right?
i know!!!
so, help me out girls. (guys? yeah, didn't think so.)
what is on your wish list?
i mean, my birthday is only a month away... and christmas? will be here in the blink of an eye!
what's a girl to do?
but wait! don't give it all way!
how about a chance to post your wish list right here?
november is going to be a crazy month around here, and I would love to share my modest little platform with some of you while i run around like a chicken with my head cut off. sounds fun, right? (the guest-posting part, not the chicken part.) want to share your list with the rest of us?
if you're interested, shoot me an email (allorahandmade@gmail.com) and we'll try and work something out!
ready, set, BREAK.

p.s. did i say thanks for the sweet comments from fridays post? i didn't? well, THANK YOU. thanks for the encouragement and the amen's and the go-get-em's. i so appreciate your kindness!

as i sit here...

here i am sitting in a local coffee shop (probably THE ONLY local coffee shop - I live in UT, you know...) waiting for yet another (surely) darling girl to come meet me here, and I have a moment to reflect.
is this my life?
here i am, about to hire an assistant.
someone employed by me.
little old me.
for my business.
that i started all on my own with a hope and a prayer.
because we were so broke i didn't know what else to do.
and as i sit here, i wonder... whose life is this?
did you know that most of my life i thought i was going to be a teacher?
did you know that i was so passionate about teaching and was certain there was nothing else that could make me feel so fulfilled?
did you know that when i was first married i wanted nothing more in the world than to be a mom and nothing else? i longed for babies, babies, and more babies. and when babies didn't come, i had to make new plans.
did you know that when babies finally came, i wanted nothing more than to be able to stay at home with my babies and not worry about a single thing other than whether to play with blocks or cars?
did you know that life NEVER goes according to plan? (at least not MY life.)
as i look back on that windy, turbulent, beautiful road i have walked down, i don't regret a single step.
sure, my life is crazy busy. sure, there are days when i want to give up and crawl into a hole. or at least crawl back into bed and lock the door and hope that someone else will show up to change the diapers and referee the boys and answer emails and clean the house. but right now, in this local coffee shop with free wifi (thank you!), i feel so blessed.
i strongly believe that God knows what He is doing with me.
He created the world. and He is creating me.
as stubborn as i am, and as much as i think my way is best, He knows better, and shows me.
i never would have planned to be supporting my husband through school at age 30.
i never would have planned to have my own business and make a living out of silly fabric flowers.
i never would have planned to be here at a local coffee shop in search of a mini-me to help tackle the ever increasing business that is growing before me.
but God has wanted to teach me humilty.
He has wanted to teach me perseverance and determination.
He has wanted me to learn to be a mother with a kind and appreciative heart.
He has wanted me to learn to be a wife that is supportive of her husband even when the road seems long and dark.
He has wanted me to find out more about ME. to give more of ME. to be who HE knows i am.

and I thank Him for that.

what does He want for you?

Winner! Winner! Winner!

Thanks for participating in the Knitty Bitties Giveaway! Hope you love her as much as I do...

Congratulations to:

Yay, Jackie! We'll get you in touch with Andrea!

Thanks to Andrea for the chance to win.

Now, those of you who didn't win, don't forget about the Knitty Bitties handmade holiday promotions!

And, what do you think? Would you like to see more giveaways?