Gena's Wedding Reception Dress ;)

Who would've ever thought I would design a reception dress for the sweet, timid girl that sat next to me in Spanish class TEN years ago!!!  Being a grade younger then everyone else, Gena was a tad shy in class but I knew she just needed a little warming up to break out of her shell.  She probably thought I was obnoxious and wanted me to leave her alone, but i am SO GLAD I didn't!!!lol  As the year progressed, I got to know Gena and she is one of the most down to earth, sweetest girls I know.  So to have Gena ask me to design her reception dress, on one of the most important days of her life, was such an incredible honor for me.  I was so estactic that I agreed right away, not knowing how I was going to pull it off!lol  

Gena loved the style of Sara Seven dresses.  So I knew I wanted to do a pleated sweetheart, poofy dress.  You can see my lack of education in sewing, calling it a "poofy" dress!haha  Anyways, I thought something fun, short, and flirty to dance in during the reception would be PERFECT!!!  So I bought some organza material, folded some pleats, and started sewing away, and somehow it turned out BEAUTIFUL!!!  THANK GOD!!!  I was so nervous, but as soon as she put the dress on I couldn't be happier with the results.  Granted Gena would look good in a brown paper bag, the dress looked stunning on her!  

To have Gena wear a My-Kim dress on her special day meant the world to me, and I can't put into words how I felt to see her on the dance floor wearing a dress that I made.  I'm just happy that I got to be a part of it and wish her and Matt a lifetime of happiness ;) CONGRATS MR. AND MRS. RUSSO!!!

 

Save a Child: Buy a Dress ;)

I hate to admit it but I would consider myself, among many others, as a shopaholic.  I tend to use shopping as a means of therapy, or better known as "retail therapy!" Typically when I get stressed out, I would make an excuse to buy anything and everything I set my eyes on to make me feel better! I would fill that void and go broke while I was at it!lol 
Now, I'm happy to say I've replaced that urge with a mission to raise money for charity.  There is no high higher then donating money!  In the past, I've tithed my usual amount to my local church, and when a natural disaster hits, would do an occasional fundraiser with my Sunday school students.  But never have I ever had a strong desire to raise money for local charities.  ...until I found a passionate hobby I was obsessed with!  
When I started making a profit from My-Kim, because I enjoyed it so much, I didn't feel as though the profit belonged entirely to me.  Granted I  slaved away all night and day making dresses, I felt compelled to give that money away.  This urge made me want to work harder to raise even more money for a good cause.  
Honestly, I have NEVER felt that way about my corporate income!!!  Every single paycheck, and especially bonus I would receive would selfishly go towards a shopping spree, a trip, a new T.V., or some kind of Apple technology!lol  I would've never thought I would have such a strong desire to give away my hard earned money and make it a point to raise even more for charities.  
That is why I strongly encourage everyone to find something they're passionate about and turn it into their career. Even if it just starts out as a fun hobby, it will really change your perspective on giving. And it will drive you to work harder, so you can give more!  As Charles Wesley said... 


"Make all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can."

My-Kim's charity of choice is called Carolina's Children Charity.  I was lucky enough to grow up with such a loving family, but my heart breaks for the ones who didn't.  I tend to gravitate towards broken kids and always wanted to "fix" them.  What better way to help "fix" them by giving to a charity that has a mission to : 


"enhance the quality of life for children and families. Their primary service is to provide a home for children when they are unable to live with their family. They support this with a range of prevention and treatment programs that ensure continuity and are family focused and community based."  


With that being said, My-Kim is more then happy to donate a percentage of ALL profit to contribute in saving a child's life ;)  BIG THANKS to all the girls that have contributed and remember to.....


         SAVE A CHILD AND BUY A DRESS!!!! ;).....

It's all coming together ;)

OMGoodness!!! SOOOO MANY things to update on my blog!!! I ran into a couple of random pple last week that said they've been following my blog and I felt awful that I hadn't been posting anything lately. First of all, for the followers, you'll noticed I changed up my blog image and My-Kim's logo. With the little spare time I have, I've been reading up on Design Entrepreneur books and the first thing they mentioned was not to use a dress, dress form, or a sewing needle in your logo!!!...Little did I know, I had ALL THREE!!!hahaha...so i changed that quickly and am in LOVE with my new logo ;)

The new and improved My-Kim logo!!!!

So as I'm going down this avenue, I have certainly been blessed with everything falling into place. I've been frantically calling and e-mailing pple like crazy, but it's funny that ALL my business connections havn't been made by me. Everything just seemed to fall into place by itself. Let me explain....


The first week, I was so overwhelmed and couldn't understand the legal questions and steps to being properly licensed as a manufacturer. John and I would literally read a question and then google about it for 30 min and get nowhere. I got so frustrated and the next thing I know, Katie, a friend of mine texted me and said she would come over and help me. I had no idea she was a bookkeeper and worked with an accountant for the past few years, so I told her not to worry about it. THANK GOD she wouldn't take no for an answer, and she came over and walked me through EVERYTHING!!!! She said her job was to set up businesses and get them licensed so she knew her stuff inside and out!!! I'm so thankful for My-Katie ;)

I made Katie hold up all the paper work and take a pic of My-Kim becoming official!LoL...I seriously don't know what I would've done without her ;)

Next, I knew a business plan was needed, but thought they were over rated. The SC business association also recommended I get a mentor that's in the business, something else I thought was overrated. As luck would have it, one of my friends, Michelle introduced me to Rachel, an owner of boutiques in Charleston and Atlanta. We hit it off right away and she said she would love to mentor me and help me out as much as she can. And she gave me Franks number (business consultant) and said the next time we meet up, I better have a business plan put in place!!! And boy is Frank expensive!!!LoL ...

I don't have a pic of Frank, but figured this is how the whole process would go down!lol

Next, I knew I needed good samples to bring to a manufacturer. And I remembered someone at a fabric store once gave me a number of her friend that designed clothes. So I dug around my desk, found Ms. Pat's #, and was going to ask her if she knew of any sample makers. Next thing I know I was sitting in her living room and found out that she IS a SAMPLE MAKER with over 40 yrs of experience!!!! She also said she would give me lessons to sharpen my sewing skills!!!...i snuck in SO, SO many pics of her work space, I'll have to do a whole blog about her later ;)

One of Ms. Pat's vintage books from the 1800's!

....to be continued...i'll have to finish this later....my oh so talented web designer, John Kim, turns 28 in 10 minutes!!!


Speaking of John, he is truly the most intelligent guy I know. After barely 1 month, he picked up html coding just like that. He doesn't even use a website with existing templates for you to choose from. I'm talking about him actually html coding EVERYTHING from scratch so that I can have it exactly like I want it. I am truly blessed with the BEST FIANCE EVER!!!! ok time for me to go spoil this web designer of mine ;)

My-John ;)

....BIG THANKS for everyone that reads my blog and can't wait to tell you the rest of My-story ;) .....

A fork in the road on which career path to take....

The My-Michelle skirt on Angela!!!!

In my opinion, every guy's dream girl would have to be Ms. Angela Sheppard!!!  Such a natural beauty,  so fun and easy to talk to, loves sports (esp. her gamecocks!), drama free, and the best part... VERY LOW MAINTENANCE!!!  She seriously could step right out of the shower, throw on a dress, and be ready for a night out on the town!... And I've seen it first hand!LoL...On a girls trip to Charleston, she literally took less then 20 min to get ready!...it takes me longer then that to figure out what to wear!lol  
As low maintenance as Angela is, she still loves to get all dressed up and having great taste she picked out the My-Michelle skirt.  

The My-Michelle skirt is pleated with a thin sash and is perfect to dress up or dress down!...flip flops or heels...the choice is yours ;)

               

                                                            How cute is this fabric???...I am obsessed with it!!! LOVE, LOVE the pink and green combo....imagine this fabric as the My-Maja cover up or a tunic dress!!!!

Get ready girls, I'm going to make these skirts in GAMECOCK COLORS!!!....complete with garnet and black thin sashes ;)

Halter top on Tina!!!

Ms.Tina was the FIRST to purchase a My-Kim shirt and got the FIRST My-Kim bag and gift certificate!!!  She picked out a hot pink halter top that TIES into the cutest bow in the back of her neck!

Hard for anything to not look cute on Tina, but I love, love this halter on her!!!  
Pair it with some cute white shorts or a white skirt and it makes for the perfect summer outfit!!!

The bow in the back is my favorite part of this shirt ;)

    

And for anyone that needs an excuse to order another My-Kim...I'm handing out discount gift cards w/  2nd purchases!!!         

The My-Michelle on Michelle!!!

Michelle...hmmm...what to say...i always have writers block when it comes to the people closest to me!!!   Not only is Michelle one of the prettiest Asians I know, but she's DEFINITELY the most down to earth!!!  She'll put anyone at ease, never quick to judge, and has grown to be like a little sister to me ;)  We clicked the instant we met and have been trading recipes on a weekly basis ever since!!!LoL

Good thing she is like a sister to me, bc I changed up her dress design three times!!! She was patient through it all and third time's a charm bc it turned out AMAZING!!!  She originally wanted a two strapped, full skirted dress.  But something seemed to be missing once I finished it....a tad bit boring even, especially for someone with such  personality! So I called her up in the middle of the night and told her to trust me to spruce it up a bit! I ended up adding boxed pleats at the waistline and a thin lime green matching sash.

The My-Michelle looks AMAZING on Michelle!!! I love, love the color combination and the style is PERFECT for any event ;)