Fortune Cookie

The best fortune ever!

(Thanks Panda Express)

This one hangs on my inspiration board that I recently made over with fabulous orange fabric. (Easy tutorial coming soon.)

Ka-Boom! I'm back!

My favorite time of year is when July comes along and we get to load up our little family and skidaddle out of this blazing heat and spend some time with our family in the cool breezes of the mountians. 

There is something special about small town celebrations.  The parade, picnic, fireworks. . .  It is all so homey, and magical.

I got to create some fun shirts for my boys. The "Patriot in Training" design was a special request for a good friend. I loved the idea and I got to combine screenprinting and scencilling for the first time! I love a good challenge! Thanks Tawni!

I even got to be in the parade! I rode on the back of a four wheeler and threw out candy to hundreds of happy children, all in support of Sue Hall (my amazing MIL) running for Apache County Clerk of Superior Court!
 I don't have pictures and I probably won't bribe my family go get pictures of me sunburned and windblown, so you can use your imagination.

It is great to be back home and back to work. I missed Cantaloupe Corner.
I have the shop doors re-opened for business! YAY!


In honor of Independance Day, I wanted to share some of my very first Fireworks photos!

 I hope everyone had a sparkling 4th of July!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

TV debut (short and sweet)

I'm soaking up the sun and enjoying my time off. I have been taking advantage of my free moments by working on some fun projects for my sisters' shower coming up next weekend! I've never made so many fabric flowers in a week before!

I wanted to share a fun little video that aired last week here in AZ on Fox 10 morning news. Creative Works Boutique got to show off some of their "muchness" and even though I wasn't on the show, our Cantaloupe Corner tees got some of the spotlight. 

The shirts at Creative Works aren't available anywhere else right now. They carry our Chandelier Chic Women's tee (the pink one on the wall), as well as the pretty turquoise tee with our birds-in-a-tree print, next to it.
See it in the video? (yay! we're on TV!!)

And. . . the sweet owners of this cute boutique requested some unique fabric blossom tees like the Fushcia Pink tee that Dawn is wearing in the video.  They also have some of our cute little girls blossom tees
I also have some other new tees with different Fabric Blossoms on them that will be sold at the boutique. The colors are fun and  so yummy!

If you are here in the Valley of the Sun, check out this video to see what Creative Works is all about!

Gone Fishin'

I consider myself a supurb multi-tasker. I'm not bragging, It's a survival skill I have had to learn since I had my kids. I'm sure all of you moms know what I'm talking about.

I often find myself cooking dinner, designing shirt graphics, blogging, reading to my children, and cleaning the house, and talking on the phone, all at the same time.

I really, REALLY enjoy Cantaloupe Corner! It has been a way to take a piece of myself and put it into an art form.  Now I know what it looks like inside my own head.  It's my own little happy place :)

Even though I can multi-task like a maniac, it doesn't mean that I have enough time to finish everything on my to-do list. Even if I did it all at the same time :)  And multi tasking doesn't give me much room to actually enjoy any of the zillion things I'm doing at any given moment.

I miss spending afternoons snuggling with my little cherubs, reading stacks of storybooks. I miss actually spending the time to make decent meals for my family. I really do love to cook! I miss being able to walk into a clean home where the laundry isn't an unclimbable mountian and the dishes are in the cupboards instead of the sink.  I long for the time to finish painting my studio and organize the heck out of it.

Being a business mom comes with a price.  But it is worth it!

I have made the difficult but necessary decision of temporarily closing our Etsy Shop, just for a little while, until I can start catching up on everything else. 

May, June, and July are the busiest months of the year in our household. We get to celebrate birthdays, our anniversary, more birthdays. . . and we will be having weddings (and showers) for 2 of my lovely sisters. Along with a slew of guests, a couple of trips, and 4th of July celebrations. . . we have a jam packed schedule for the next 4 weeks or so.

So I am going to let my squeegees rest a while so I concentrate on bridal shower decor, a birthday party for my sweet 4 year old, and prepping my home for my favorite people to come and stay.

If you need a t-shirt or onesie made, please email me and I will help you out the best that I can.  I'm sure I will be having internet withdrawels so emails are appreciated.

Thank you all for your support. I can't wait for July to get here so I can get back to work! Did I mention I LOVE my job?!

AND. . . .  In July, I may or may not have new toddler girls shirts . . .  just saying. . .

Chao for now!

{ Have you seen my elephant? }

I love a little randomness:


Q: Why did the elephant wear green shoes?
A: So he could hide in the grass!

Q: Why did the elephant paint his toenails red?
A: So he could hide in the cherry tree!

Q: Why did the elephant paint his toenails different colors?
A: So he could hide in the crayon box!

Q: Why did the elephant wear blue shoes?
A: Because his red ones were in the wash, of course!

Q: Why did the elephant lay on the ground with his feet in the air?
A: To trip birds!


These are my favorite jokes ever! Yes, my hubby makes fun of them {every day} but I still think they are hilarious!

Hope they made you smile.

Zap!

I've been holding onto these designs for too long but I wanted them to debut with our new high quality tees. So no more waiting!

 Here are our newest Cantaloupe Corner designs!
(que AC/DC "Back in Black"  background music)

This first design popped into my mind a dozen times before I finally drew it out and made it real. It went through a few drafts before I finally fell in love with it. I call it "Flashback" because it looks retro 80's. Oh, and of course, it is made of lightning bolts.

When I was in high school (way back in the day), it was the cool thing to wear retro 70s gear.
you know, the return of bell bottoms, lime green, hippy flower prints.  We actually raided my parents closets and wore their old clothes! My dad had the most awesome forest green bell bottoms (yes, my dad's old clothes actually fit us.)

Today you see retro 80s stuff EVERYWHERE! I love the bright colors and slinky, comfy clothes.
This is kinda my tribute to the rockin' 80s  (minus the florescent yellow, big bangs,  and acid washed, tapered leg jeans.)

And. . .
Our next shop greenie is . . .

Look familiar? This is our "Depth of Love" tree print now available on Toddler Tees! I made one for my son and I find myself reaching for this shirt whenever it is clean. I love the design and the new shirts are just so darn irresitably soft.

Come welcome the new memebers of our Etsy shop by paying them a visit from time to time. They like that.

{ The Big Picture }

As I was cleaning up my studio this morning, organizing what I could out of the mess that I am calling a studio re-model, I picked up the most trusted and useful tools a screenprinter owns: squeegees.
(I love that word! SQUEEGEE! It's even more fun to type!)

As you all know, we sell tshirts that use no ink and no paint so my squeegees always stay squeaky clean.

But. . . .Today they look like this:

My squeegees got a workout!

Me, and my family spent the last 2 weeks working on campaign signs for one of my favorite people in the whole world: my mother-in-law.


 After making 5 giant silkscreens,  we printed 65 4ft x 4ft road signs and 64 2ft x 2ft yard signs. My yard was plastered with red, white, and blue.  It was beautiful!

And now my squeegees show the battle wounds of real screenprinting usage; red and blue paint spattered across the rubber and smooth wood.  And as strange as it may seem, I don't miss my clean squeegees.

As I moved my tools around this morning I had a "big picture" moment, staring at the red, white and blue.  If it weren't for the soldiers who gave their lives for our country, there would be no Cantaloupe Corner.

Today is Memorial Day. I love this country more than I can express! I am grateful every day for the soldiers that went before us to protect what God set up for us in this blessed land.

Thank you to our soldiers for protecting the people and standing up for the rights given to us by God.
It is thanks to their courage and strength that we enjoy our freedoms.


So each time we get on Facebook or Twitter to speak our minds, thank a soldier.
When we go to church,  attend a rally or protest,  pick up the newspaper, shop at the local grocery store, fill up your cars with gas. . . .  And each time an entrepreneur starts up a small business, THANK A SOLDIER!

The men and women of the military gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be free!  

The simple words of "Thank You" just aren't enough. . . .

Can you handle it?

With all the arrival of our new premium quality t-shirts I thought it only fitting to get some new pictures that are just as. . . well. . .premium.

Eric Greer from Eric Greer Photo was the man behind the camera. And HOLY COW! Words can't even describe!

And you've got to hand it to a guy that is willing to chase toddlers/preschoolers around to get some good shots. It's not easy.

Here are a handful of my favorites:

Can you handle the cuteness?

ROCK 

Little Mister

Beat It

Definition of a Boy

Dig It

 Check out more new pics in my shop!

And. . .

I've got a new design or two coming up after the holiday weekend.

Eric Greer also does family, engagement, and wedding pictures. I LOVE his style! You have to see his work!

Check out his portfolio here.
 And his Blog.

Introducing. . . ROCK

. . . the newest member of the Cantaloupe Corner design family!

ROCK!

For your little guitar hero!

(I couldn't wait any longer! I'm getting modeled pictures soon but I just had to get this design in my shop!)

This new ROCK shirt is only available on our new tshirt brand.  Our new shirts are EXTRA soft, thick and the highest quality. And the best part is, they run true-to-size!!
 I've tried out a BUNCH of toddler t-shirts and these shirts are by far the best!

Sizing and colors will be slightly different. Check them out in our shop.

I will be switching the other shirts over to the new shirt brand as well, as soon as I get new pics, or when I start running out of our current tees, whichever comes first.


Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a sudden urge to break out my guitar and jam out to some Joan Jett!
"I Love Rock n' Roll, so put another dime in the juke box baby!"

What did you do this weekend?

Here's what went on over at our place:

Being the designated screenprinter in the family, I got forced talked into screenprinting some big ol' campaign signs! This is my backyard on Friday night. I got a self-taught crash coarse in large scale screenprinting.  It was AMAZING to see this project go from a tiny computer screen image to full scale 4ft x 4ft road signs.

I had a lot of help putting this all together. The signs are for the best mother-in-law in the world (she really is). She is Arizona's Apache County Clerk of Superior Court. (So if you live in Apache County, vote for Sue!)

What's that in the background? The Grand Canyon!!

As part of my birthday present, we took the kids on the Grand Canyon Railway to see the Grand Canyon. The trian ride was better than I have words to say about it. I have a 3 year old son who is a train fanatic and you would have thought he was in heaven. He didn't care about the big hole in the ground. He just wanted to get back on the train.

I also may or may not have posted a new tshirt design in my Etsy Shop.

If you find it (and I'm saying that there is one), which one is it?

Hope you had an adventurous weekend too! What did you do?