I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for winter to be over and for spring to begin. I’ve had enough cold, snow and ice for one year and can’t wait to get back outside; and of course it will be nice to unpack my warm weather clothing once again and even buy a few new items to update my spring/summer wardrobe for 2009.

If you’re feeling the same way I do, you’ll be happy to know that Lydia’s new line of medical clothing uniforms is now available. Our spring catalog just went out in the mail and if you can’t wait to receive yours then head to www.LydiasUniforms.com where you can also browse all the latest items. 

I think you’ll be excited to see the new medical scrubs because they have lots to offer in terms of comfort and fashion. Prints are a popular in new scrubs for spring and there are some to suit everyone’s taste. We’ve also got a new scrub top from Cherokee Flexibles and I have a feeling that it’s going to be a top seller this season.

             

So take a minute to shop our new medical uniforms and see what you think about them. When you’re done, leave a comment and let us know your thoughts. Did you find the perfect addition to your spring work wardrobe? If so, what was it?  
 

Did you know that Lydia’s Uniforms has an Online Only Scrub Shop? There’s a whole portion of our web site devoted to medical clothing uniforms that you’ll find exclusively online and not in our catalog. So if you have a love for shopping and you’ve already seen everything that the Lydia’s catalog has to offer than head to this part of our site for even more options. And if you haven’t seen everything in the catalog you should still check it out; there are some ultra stylish and, of course, functional scrubs that aren’t to be missed.

 Here are a few of my top picks from our Online Only Scrub Shop:

      

I’m all about finding good deals. Whether it’s clothing, dining or any other purchase I get excited to find something I love at an awesome price. If you’re like me, today’s post is for you; it’s all about finding the best deals on medical clothing uniforms here at Lydia’s. From scrubs coupons to contests there are all sorts of ways you can save a dollar or two. Here are my tips for buying scrubs on a budget at Lydia’s Uniforms:

• Read the blog and enter our contests! What better way to save money on scrubs than by winning them?! Each month we hold a contest on the blog and the winner receives a $50 gift certificate to Lydia’s. You can enter every month so your odds of winning aren’t bad (Enter now!). And that’s not the only reason to read the blog; we also offer other chances to win uniforms with more contests and I try to keep you informed about the latest sales and deals.
• Sign up for our e-mail list and you’ll save tons of money. Just for signing up you’ll receive a coupon for 20% off and after that we’ll frequently send you free shipping offers, scrubs coupons, info on our latest sales and more. The best part is you can choose what kind of e-mails you want to receive from Lydia’s so you’ll only receive messages that are valuable to you. If you only want e-mails that contain coupons that’s fine or if you just want to be informed about contests that’s not a problem either. Sign up for the e-mails that are important to you and you’ll be able to save a little cash when you buy medical uniforms.
• Add Lydia’s as a friend on MySpace or Facebook or Twitter. Every Wednesday I post a deal of the week on these sites and they’re also another place when you can enter our monthly contest.
• Visit our Bargain Outlet to find a variety of affordable nursing scrubs. This section of our site has over 150 products, so it’s hard not to find something that’s your style. The Bargain Outlet section is great because you can search by size (it’s got everything from XS scrubs to plus size medical uniforms), style, price or brand to find exactly what you’re looking for.
• Use the advanced search feature at LydiasUniforms.com to search by price. If you’re budget is under 10, search for all items under $9.99 and see what’s available to you. It’s like searching for a deal on the sales rack, except we do the hard work for you!

Next time you’re shopping for scrubs on a budget follow these tips and see what happens. I hope that they help all of you find the uniforms you’re looking for at prices that you can afford. Leave a comment and let me know if you saved any money at Lydia’s and if you have your own budget shopping tips leave a comment and share them with all my readers.

The holiday season is here and we want to wish you Happy Holidays by offering you two chances to win free medical clothing uniforms from Lydia’s. Tons of new designer medical scrubs, lab coats and medical supplies will be available soon in our new catalog and on the web site so now is the perfect time to win a Lydia's gift certificate.

Enter our Holiday 2008 Photo Contest and you could win a $100 gift certificate or enter our Editor @ Large Contest and you could win a $50 gift certificate; enter both and double your chances of winning free scrubs!

To enter our Holiday 2008 Photo Contest all you have to do is click here and send us a picture of you in your holiday medical scrubs. I’m excited to see all of your photos so I hope you take the time to enter. The contest ends on January 7th, 2009 so get your camera out this week at work.

To enter the December Editor @ Large Contest just share a funny work story. Visit my blog post here to read all the details and enter now.

Good luck to all who enter; I can’t wait to see your pictures and read your stories.

I’m excited to tell you about a new section of our web site. Just today we added a Lydia’s Uniforms Plus Size Scrub store. You can view medical clothing uniforms, scrubs and lab coats from all your favorite brands in sizes 2XL-5XL. Finding the right fit is one of the most important (and sometimes difficult!) things about shopping. I personally like shopping online just because I don’t have to sift through racks and piles of clothing trying to find the size I’m looking for. With our new plus size scrub store we want to make it easier for you to find exactly what you need.

To visit the main page of our new store, go here; click on the different homepage tabs to see our favorite trends, popular basics and featured Cherokee Scrubs.  Or click here and you’ll be taken to all of our plus size scrubs sorted by brand. Browse through them to find something you like or click on any of the brands and you’ll be able to view medical scrubs by size.

So next time your shopping, check out this new section of our site. If there’s something you love about it (or something you don’t), leave a comment here and let us know what you think.

Congratulations to Patricia, she’s November’s winner of our Editor @ Large contest here at Lydia’s Uniforms! We loved Patricia’s comment and as our winner she’ll be receiving a $50 gift certificate to Lydia’s Uniforms.

In November's Editor @ Large Contest I asked customers to tell me about the medical clothing uniforms that fit them best. I discovered that almost none of you had the same responses; you all have different favorite scrubs for a variety of reasons. It was interesting to hear which medical uniforms fit all of you best and why. Our winner, Patricia, loves the look of flare leg pants. Here’s her winning comment:

“I LOVE your huge selection on this site! The best pants I've found that flatter me most are the Cherokee Authentic Workwear Flare Leg Scrub Pant and the Dickies Hip Flip Cargo Flare Scrub Pants - can you tell, I love flares? Haha. As for tops, I've received TONS of compliments on my L.A. Rose tops. The tie on the back and the style/cut of the shirts are too cute and, well, they resemble NORMAL clothes rather than plain, boring old scrubs. They may not be the cheapest, but they're definitely the cutest! P.S. I can't wait to get my Tokidoki scrubs! ;o)”-Patricia

After contacting our winner I found out that she’s a student in New York who will be graduating this May with a Bachelor’s degree. She’s wanted to try out the Grey’s Anatomy uniforms and now she can! Congratulations again to Patricia!

Sticking with the theme of style and fit I’ll be posting a video on the blog tomorrow that highlights the brands and uniforms that are best for each body type, so check back then to see it!

And in the meantime, don’t forget to enter December's Editor @ Large Contest for your chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Lydia’s Uniforms. The contest has already started and you can enter now.

Happy Friday everyone. Below is the weekly roundup of the news and I want to take a minute to point out a couple of links that are especially noteworthy.

The article Health Watch: Color Scrubs to Fight Infection (the first article under Health News) is a story about a hospital that is testing a new method to fight infections in the O.R. The hospital is only allowing certain medical clothing uniforms in the O.R. in an attempt to control germs that are brought in on hospital scrubs. I found this article really interesting. I’ve always wondered about the standards and regulations regarding scrubs being worn outside of the hospital before or after shifts. It seems that many employees and patients have concerns about germs being transferred in and out of hospitals on medical clothing uniforms, but that many workplaces are not recognizing this worry.  Is it common practice for workplaces to enforce rules about where you wear your scrubs or are most employees free to use their own discretion? Tell me about the policy at your workplace and what you think about it.

I also want to point out the Change of Shift link in the Blogs section. Change of Shift is a compilation of blog posts about nursing. Anyone is free to submit their post, whether you’re a nurse, patient or student. So if you’re interested in submitting something or just reading what others have to say, check it out!

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• Hospital, Physician Groups File Lawsuit To Block Enforcement Of California Rules That Ban Balance Billing
• Medicaid/Physicians Brace for Medicaid Payment Cuts in 2009 Amid Weak Economy
• Pa. nurses gain victory in long drive to ban forced O.T.
• California takes steps to probe nurses’ criminal backgrounds
• First Paramedic Course To Use Second Life
• Physician Uses Harp to Soothe, Heal Patients
• ‘Prescribed’ Reading For Physicians

Health News:

• HealthWatch: Color Scrubs To Fight Infection
• E.P.A. Toughens Standard on Lead Emissions; Change Is the First in 3 Decades
• Keeping the beat for CPR? Hum ‘Stayin’ Alive’
• Medical helicopters crashing at alarming rates, federal officials say
• Infant Deaths Drop in U.S., but Rate Is Still High
• Death rate 70 percent lower at top hospitals
• Your ‘pure’ bottled water has contaminants too
• States: Ban bisphenol A in baby products
• Parkinson's Patients More Prone to Vitamin D Deficiency
• Pediatricians group doubles recommended vitamin D dose for children
• Keeping Your Own Health Chart, Online

Blogs:

• Change of Shift
• Physician Assistants Establish Online Presence
• Slowing Economy Boosts Travel Nursing: Part Deux
• Bulletproof Your Nursing Career

Being the curious type, I decided to get the scoop on the winner of our Win Your Wishlist Contest and her new medical scrubs.  

Our winner Christine is a Dental Assistant and she heard about the Win Your Wishlist contest at the Lydia’s Uniforms homepage. She didn’t think she had a chance of winning because of how many entries there were, but it’s a good thing she entered anyway! When I asked her which medical clothing uniforms she was most excited about receiving in the mail, she replied with, “I am really excited about receiving all the new outfits, just because I have been using hand-me-downs from friends, and slowly trying to replace with new. I also have a hard time finding scrubs to fit (both size and style), but Lydia's always has a great selection to choose from.” And when I finally asked if she was happy about winning, her response was, “Yes it will wonderful to have a whole new wardrobe for work, thank you so much.”

It sounds like the new medical uniforms are just what Christine’s work wardrobe needed. Which uniform scrubs will you buy if you’re the winner in our Editor @ Large Contest?

Happy Friday everyone! It’s a quiet day here at Lydia’s Uniforms, a few people are already out of the office for the weekend and the rest are busy trying to cram the last of the week’s work into the final Friday hours. One exciting thing that we’ve been working on this week (that I think you’ll be interested in) is bringing you more opportunities to score free medical clothing uniforms! I’m not going to reveal anything just yet, but let’s just say that if you like the sound of free hospital scrubs, you might just want to keep your eye on your e-mail (and maybe on our Facebook and MySpace, while you’re at it).

Now check out the news from the week:

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• Studies Find Few Differences In Health Outcomes For HIV-Positive Patients Cared For By Nurses Versus Doctors
• New funds will help nursing shortage
• U.S. Faces Serious Shortage Of Primary Care Physicians, Especially In Low-Income, Rural Communities, According To NACHC
• Row over brain surgery pics on Facebook
• Yes, the P.A. Will See You Now

Health News:

• Popping antibiotics send thousands to the ER
• Giving Birth at Home
• More states shred bills for awful medical errors
• Doctors debate when to declare organ donors dead
• Calif. lawmakers weigh chemical ban in baby items

Blogs:

• Patient Safety Threatened by Unprofessional Behavior
• How to Study for the NCLEX-RN
• Am I Contributing to the Nursing Shortage?

Today I want to tell you about some of my favorite new styles from the fall collection of scrub uniforms.  It was hard to choose what to talk about with so many new designer medical scrubs available. After some thought, I decided on a few one-of-a-kind new looks from Iguana Med. Everyone in the office, including me, seems to love these new pieces. A few weeks ago they were on a clothing rack of scrubs near my desk; everyone who walked by took notice of them. I think the combination of their soft feel and unique yet traditional styling made them stand out among all the scrub uniforms.

What makes these medical scrubs unique is that they’re all made partially from bamboo. I remember hearing about bamboo clothing awhile ago, but before these medical clothing uniforms arrived at Lydia’s Uniforms I had never actually seen any articles that were made from it. I’m glad I finally did because I absolutely love it.

So you might be wondering why bamboo for medical scrubs? Well, some research informed me that in addition to its soft feeling and high quality there are many reasons that bamboo fabric is an awesome new alternative. Some of my favorite reasons are: it requires a relatively low amount of energy and water to grow, it can be grown without pesticides and it is sustainable to harvest because of its fast growth. Sounds good to me!

These scrubs are  really similar to many of the cotton surgical scrubs that we carry, but the mixture of bamboo and cotton gives them a different feel. The medical uniforms have a very high end look, but they're also soft and lightweight which makes them seem extremely comfortable. I also appreciate the crew neck on this scrub top. It’s a bit different from the v-neck that many scrub uniforms have, but still has the look of traditional and professional scrubs.

Iguana Med also offers these two tees. They're great because in addition to being super soft they're also slightly stretchy and breathable. If I happen to purchase new workout wear anytime soon, and I just might have to, this short sleeve top will definitely be on my list of must-haves. Either top would probably work great under your favorite cotton surgical scrubs or by itself with a pair of scrub pants.

So if you happen to try out these new medical scrubs, leave a comment and let everyone know what you think! How do they compare to your other designer medical scrubs? And if I end up purchasing one of the shirts I’ll be sure to tell you how they hold up during a tiresome workout.

Any job that requires latex gloves or excessive hand washing can lead to extremely dry skin. If you wear medical scrubs it’s likely that your job requires both of those things. Fortunately for me, my job doesn’t require excessive hand washing or glove wearing. Nevertheless, my hands are consistently dry. It’s partially my own fault and probably can be attributed to the scalding hot water I use in the shower. But regardless, I know how terrible it is to constantly have dry hands.

When I was browsing through our samples of scrubs and medical clothing uniforms the other day I came across the Glove’n Care Hand Cream available from Lydia’s. I decided I would test it out, see if I liked it and share my thoughts with you

So here’s what I liked about it: The lotion was really creamy and rich, my skin seemed to absorb it quickly. My hands still felt moisturized for awhile after applying it so I didn’t need to reapply it frequently. Plus I only had to use a small amount when I did apply it. I also liked how my hands seemed less dry in general after I used it for a few days.

One more benefit is that the cream is water based. This doesn't mean much to me, but it should to anyone who wears latex gloves on the job.Other lotions are capable of breaking down latex, but water based, petroleum free lotions do not.

The only thing I didn’t like about it was the lack of fragrance. It did have a mild fragrance that smelled nice, but I like lotions with stronger scents. The mild fragrance is probably preferable for anyone who’s working with patients that might be sensitive to strong smells or anyone unlike me who doesn’t want a strong scent.

Overall, I would say this lotion is perfect for anyone in the medical profession, or anyone wearing latex gloves on the job. It was made just for you and it actually works really well!

Is there anyone else out there who has tried this hand cream? What do you think about it? Does it keep your hands moisturized during a long day wearing scrubs and working hard?

One look through a Lydia’s catalog will tell you that medical clothing uniforms come in all sorts of styles. Whether traditional hospital scrubs, lab coats and suits, a nursing dress or designer medical scrubs; the many styles of medical clothing uniforms continue to transition with the times. With so many styles of medical clothing uniforms to choose from, it seems that the line between acceptable medical clothing uniforms and unacceptable is extremely blurry. As that line continues to become more blurred, employees must abide by the policies and opinions of their employers when it comes to picking out their medical clothing uniforms or medical scrubs. 

When researching dress codes at different locations around the country I discovered that there’s no uniformity when it comes to uniform dress codes. It seems that the most popular dress code is basic scrubs with a specific color for each position (green for surgeons, blue for RNs, etc.). But even this dress code isn’t uniform. Colors are different for different facilities. Sometimes patterns are acceptable and sometimes they’re not. And then there’s the whole issue of jewelry, nails, hair, etc., and it’s a complicated issue! There are other facilities that seem to be more lax, permitting any style of scrubs, having casual Fridays and some that even permit jeans to be worn with scrub tops.

As I read different forums and posts across the Internet, I discovered that employee’s opinions about dress codes are just as diverse as the dress codes themselves. Since personal care providers are often required to do strenuous and/or messy work and because more facilities are no longer providing medical uniforms, but instead requiring employees to buy medical uniforms; it’s no surprise that there are strong opinions about what can and cannot be worn.  On one site I looked at, more than one individual expressed that they were actually narrowing down their job options based on dress codes. Many individuals stated a dislike for dress codes that require all white scrubs if they’re going to be performing duties that will likely be messy. And some individuals were perfectly fine with dress codes, whatever it may be, as long as they could wear comfortable medical scrubs.

I also discovered an article at American Nurse today that outlined a study on medical scrubs. The study attempted to discover what patients preferred when it came to medical scrubs. Results showed that 64% of patients thought nurses should be allowed to wear any uniform color, 39% said they would like to identify their RN by uniform color and 80% said they would like to identify their RN by a large print “RN” on a name badge. Interesting results considering the number of hospitals that use color as a way to define their employees’ positions.

In my opinion, both the more modern stylish medical scrubs and the traditional basic scrubs look professional as long as they are worn in a neat and clean matter. What's your dress code and what do you think?

And as someone who wears medical scrubs, which look do you like best? The first look is a dress by L.A. Rose. The second look consists of Barco Medical Scrubs. And the third look is a scrub top by L.A. Rose with a pair of flare scrub pants by Dickies.

           

I’m just one of many employees here at Lydia’s Uniforms. Since you get to hear what I have to say about nursing scrubs and medical clothing uniforms on a regular basis I thought you might be interested in hearing from some of our other employees via the blog. So today I’ll be sharing with you write ups from two different employees, Mandy and Char. They each wrote about the time they've spend working at Lydia’s, discussing what they do here and why the love it. I was intrigued by their write ups because as an employee it’s encouraging to hear about other employees’ positive experiences. Hopefully you’ll find what they have to say interesting as well. After all, you might just end up talking to one of them if you ever buy medical uniforms over the phone. If you have a question about your new nursing scrubs from Lydia’s, they might be on the other end of the line when you call and ask.  So if you've ever wondered: What it's like at Lydia's? Read what they have to say.

Mandy: Team Leader in Customer Service

I have been an employee of Lydia’s Professional Uniforms for over five years. I cannot express enough gratitude toward this family owned company. I started my first year with this company in the Returns Department processing orders and enjoyed working in an environment where all of my co-workers and supervisors were extremely helpful and courteous. At that point I knew they treated the employees just as they do every customer.

I then received the opportunity to move to the call center where all the orders are placed. I remember being so excited to work with customers first hand and help each person find uniforms that they would be comfortable in and fit their body type.

Lydia’s gave me new opportunities and also worked around my schedule of being a full-time college student. Lydia’s not only was supportive through my college career but they are also looking out for our customers too! Did you know they offer a Nursing Scholarship program? Having been in school myself I know how much that can help out. I really appreciate everything that Lydia’s has done for me over the past five years and am happy to work for a company that takes pride in their work everyday.

Char: Special Accounts Representative

Sometimes I wonder where 20 years have gone. I have been with Lydia’s for the better part of 16 years. I did try other things, but it’s like coming home. I can truly say that 90% of my work has been fun. The company I work for has always had my back, in good times and bad.

A lot of things have changed in 20 years, but I am still proud of the integrity of Lydia’s. They really do care about the customers and the staff that serves them. As a customer you can feel confident that you’re dealing with an honest company. Like any company, we sometimes make mistakes, but we have been trained to do whatever we can to keep you as a long time customer. As a long time staff member I know that Lydia’s will treat you right.

I have customers from all over the country that brighten my day, make me crazy and make me laugh; I owe this to a unique company. Thank you Uniform Warehouse and Lydia’s Uniforms.

Today I’m going to step outside my blogging box and get back to basics. I’m sure by now you’ve noticed that stylish medical scrubs and unique medical clothing uniforms that follow the trends of today are one of my favorite things to post about. I just can’t get over the fashionable details that adorn many of the designer medical scrubs and whenever I discover something new or stylish I want to share it with you! But as I said, today I’m going to get back to the basics. No talk about the trendy medical scrubs. Instead I’m going to share with you my opinion on the best of the best when it comes to basic medical scrubs from Lydia’s.

Whether it’s your regular wardrobe or your medical clothing uniforms wardrobe, there are just some pieces that you have to have, and those are the basics. In my wardrobe at home my basics are simple: brown and black shoes that match everything, one good pair of jeans, plain tees and tanks that can be dressed up or down and the white button down shirt. They might just be basics, but those basics are the basis of a great wardrobe. So when it comes to medical clothing uniforms, what are the must haves?

Here’s what I think about the basics of scrubs: You need a pair of comfortable shoes, a solid v-neck scrub top, a comfy basic tee, a versatile jack and drawstring scrub pants in the style that looks best on you. Finally, after you have all those pieces, and if your dress code allows it, you can add the trendy and stylish
medical scrubs to your work wardrobe.

So after browsing through the scrubs and comparing prices, styles, sizes and colors these are my picks for the best of the best when it comes to the basics of medical scrubs.
 
 
             
                                         

Medcial clothing uniforms tops, clockwise from top left corner: Annie Combo Top by Koi, two tops in one for $23.99, Everyday Unisex Scrub Top by Dickies for $9.99, Value Plus Reversible Unisex Scrub Top by Lydia’s for $8.99, Soft Brushed Four Pocket Top by Lydia's for $13.99,  Roxy Jacket by Koi for $24.99, Short Sleeve Spandex Knit Tee by Dickies for $9.99.

Medical clothing uniforms pants, left to right: Drawstring Bootcut Pant by Urbane for $18.99, Back Elastic Cargo Pant by Dickies for $14.99 and Unisex Four Pocket Pant by Lydia's for $11.99.

Shoes, top to bottom: Women’s Primo Breeze Pro for $49.99, Men’s Topo Moc Pro for $49.99 both by Merrell.


Which basics do you think are the best?

Uniforms can be good, uniforms can be bad and uniforms can be downright ugly. After putting some serious thought into it I decided that medical scrubs fall into the good uniform category. Now I know you might be thinking that my opinion is biased and of course I would think scrubs are good, but hear me out on this one. 

Before working at Lydia’s I spent four long years working in a restaurant and wearing a uniform that easily falls into the category of ugly. Think non-fitted, faux denim button down shirt, accompanied by a pair of unflattering khaki pants, topped off by a men’s tie. If the scratchy fake denim shirt didn’t send that outfit straight into the ugly category, then accessorizing it with a men’s tie certainly did. And that’s not really the worst part about this uniform. The worst, most obnoxious thing about this uniform is that it was replaced with a much more flattering uniform the exact same week that I put in my two weeks notice.

Prior to that I had a job which required me to wear a blue polo with black pants. Alright, there’s nothing horrible about that, right? Wrong. The shirt was only available in sizes that were twice the width and length of any normal shirt I would wear. Trying to tuck it in, as was required, resulted in me trying to shove yards of fabric into the waist of my pants. Needless to say this was not a good look or feel, and that is why this uniform falls into the bad category.

On the contrary to my old uniforms, medical scrubs come in a variety of colors and prints and there are more and more stylish medical scrubs each season. Although some of you may not get to choose the scrubs that you wear, you do get the reassurance that at the very least your medical clothing uniforms will be comfortable. For those of you that do get to choose, you’re lucky. Designer medical scrubs from brands like Koi, Urbane and Katherine Heigl follow all the latest fashion trends and come in a variety of styles and sizes. Your options are endless.

Bearing all this info in mind, you have to believe me when I say I browse through the racks of Barco Medical Scrubs, Landau Scrubs or stylish medical scrubs by Katherine Heigl with a slight feeling of envy. I would be elated to wear any uniform that was a nice color and didn’t feel like cardboard, not to mention any uniform with a pretty pattern, shape or fashion forward style. So for all those reasons, I feel completely justified placing medical scrubs in the category of good uniforms, even if I am biased.

Plus, as long as your uniform consists of scrubs, you can be reassured that you’ll never have to dress like this (unless you want to):

To see uniforms that fit into the good category, including restaurant uniforms, check out our sister company Uniform Warehouse. Or of course you can head to  Lydia's Uniforms. And please feel free to comment and share any stories that you have about the uniforms you wore before you wore scrubs.

Whenever I go in for a check up I notice the names of the doctors and nurses embroidered on their lab coats. It really adds a nice personal touch to their look (and it helps me remember their names!) I’ve also noticed that a few of the nurses have logos embroidered on their coats and I think it defintely enhances the style and personality of any medical uniform.  

Lydia’s offers all sorts of embroidery options from different logos to a variety of text styles. I talked to Melissa in our customer service department to see if there were any common customer questions regarding embroidery and she talked me through some of them. So if you’re thinking about getting embroidery on your medical clothing uniforms or stylish medical scrubs, this is what you need to know:

·  Lydia’s offers a variety of logos, thread colors and fonts. To view these go to the item that you would like embroidery and click the add embroidery box. After checking this box you can view the thread, lettering and logo options by clicking on the, “More Details,” links. Choose the options you like best and don’t forget: light thread colors work best on dark fabrics and dark threads on light fabrics. These are some of my favorite logos.

·  There are a few different fonts available; the ladies from the embroidery department gave me these suggestions on fonts. Good Times is a fun font, Roman Script and Gothic Script are popular professional business looks. Oriental Script is the only style that is all caps by default, but Open Block and Full Block are also available in all caps by request. My favorite style is Roman Script!

·  If you decide to have a logo and name on the same side of your top, the logo will go on top by default.

·  The size of embroidery starts at ¾ inches tall, but depends on the style and garment.

·  There may be a limit on the amount of characters to be embroidered because they have to fit inside the loop of the embroidery machine. 

· Lydia’s also offers custom embroidery. This has to be done over the phone so we can ensure that everything is just how you want it. If you’re all  ready to order a custom logo for your medical clothing uniforms or if you just want a pricing quote for a logo on your hospital scrubs, this is the number to call: 1.800.293.7721

·  Our embroidery department works really hard to ensure that all orders come out exactly how you want them. Check out these pics that Rachel got from the embroidery department. This is where it all happens! 

If there are any more questions about embroidery feel free to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you. Or of course you can always call our customer service department at 1.800.293.7721 and they’ll have answers to all your questions.

I had intentions of writing a blog post about the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, but somehow that time came and went and now it just seems to be too late. I’m not sure how I could have forgotten considering I absolutely loved the last episode, but somehow I managed to push it out of my mind; I guess we’ll just move on.

What subject are we moving on to? The subject is hospital scrubs in your television (very similar to Grey’s Anatomy, I know). Scrubs are everywhere! Hospital dramas have been around for awhile and I doubt that they’ll be going out of style any time soon. M.A.S.H. has been on since the 1970s and I’m almost positive that my dad is still watching it (and trying to make me watch it when I go home and visit). And who can forget about Doogie Howser, teenage genius? Clearly not me; the image of him donning hospital scrubs, lab coat and clipboard in hand is still fresh in my memory.

Now almost four decades after M.A.S.H. we have our pick of hospital television. Grey’s Anatomy, General Hospital, ER, House and Scrubs are all in full swing and I’m probably still forgetting a few. On television doctors and nurses are substantially more interesting than the rest of us and it seems as if they never go to bed. Lives are lived inside the hospital and the witty banter never seems to cease. If real life medical professionals are anything like they are on television I would never survive!

So what do you think about these shows. How do they measure up when it comes to portraying reality? Which show is the most realistic? Are there scenes or situations that occur on these shows that have you fuming about how untrue they are?

And how about their hospital uniforms, how do those compare? On Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy, ER and General Hospital we see the basic v-neck scrub tops and matching pants. House characters outfit themselves in professional attire underneath the long white lab coats. Since they’re all wearing similar medical clothing uniforms, which cast as a whole do you think wears it best? We all know what I would say, so tell me what you think!

In case your memory needs refreshing, or you’re just in need of some entertainment, here are a few video clips from the shows.

Before working at Lydia's I never knew how many styles and options there are when it came to medical clothing uniforms. I can’t help but admire how fashion forward some of the scrubs are. At times I find myself looking through our designer medical scrubs and thinking, “I would wear that.”  And I don’t mean: I would wear that if I was a Registered Nurse that worked in the hospital next to my house. I mean: I would wear that on my day off when I ride my bike to the park or when I’m shopping downtown. So I went through our latest catalog and found some looks that are functional for work or play. Check them out and see what you think. Could I get away with wearing these tops, even though I’m not a nurse? I think so. Would you wear these styles on your day off? Let me know.

I think this shirt is more than appropriate for mothers as well as nurses. What mother hasn’t tended to a scraped knee or a bump on the head? (I’m not a mother or a nurse, so this shirt isn’t for me, but I bet there are lots of readers out there who fit into both categories!)

I love this hoodie. Everything from the waist details to the length to the colors is perfect. Can’t you see yourself throwing this over your favorite tee and jeans, or even as a swimsuit cover up?

Another great item to throw on for a casual look in the evenings or weekends. I hate to admit it, but I like this hoodie more than the ones I already own.

I can definitely picture myself wearing this with a pair of jeans. What do you think?

I’m sure once I take a better look at the items we have in for the fall catalog, I’ll find even more looks that are appropriate for work or play! In fact, Rachel’s already considering purchasing one of the new tops that’s made out of the bamboo fabric she mentioned in yesterday’s post. I think the two of us are on the same page when it comes to nursing scrubs!