Pretty, Pretty Princess

I was super excited when a friend asked me to sew her daughter a princess dress for Halloween. I used the pattern from my daughter's dress last year, so I thought I would just fly through making it.

Then I had to be over ambitious and choose the worst fabric ever to sew with. Darling fabric for sure, but so hard to sew! The organza overlay has small white beads all over it. My sewing machine and small white beads do not get along very well.

Anyway, after a few more hours than I planned, I was very pleased with the results and it is perfect for Princess S.

Gorgeous Dress for a Gorgeous Girl

You are going to steal the show in your family pictures, baby J!

On its way ...

... to a special princess who is turning 1! Happy birthday, Kylie!

Phew. That's all I have to say about the past 6 days. Phew.

Remember when I showed you the tutorial for super cute boxes that would work perfectly for neighbor gifts? Here are the results!




I filled them with caramel corn, Muddy Buddies, and peanut butter balls. Delish!

I helped my mom put together some boxes for her neighbors, as well. Actually, I had had enough of folding cardstock so I put my dad to work. Just call him M. Stewart.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and please have a safe New Year!

Sunny Skirt

    I have a 3 year-old boy and a 1 year-old girl. When we  found out by ultrasound that baby #2 was indeed a girl, my shopping began and it has never stopped! I have found that dressing a girl cutely (is that a word?) is so much more overwhelming than a boy. For a boy you get a few pairs of jeans, some dress pants, a variety of shirts, a couple pairs of shoes and *TADA* you have a wardrobe. For a girl you need skirts, shirts, dresses, bows, headbands, tights, socks, shoes in every color, etc. etc. Never-ending! Whenever I see something cute at the store I have to think, "OK, what else am I going to need so that she can actually wear this?"
And that,  my dear readers, is the question that inspired this post. You see, I  just finished a skirt for the shop. As I looked at the skirt though, that infamous question popped into my head. It's winter. Skirts and winter don't usually mix very well. Unless you are like me. There is a picture of me as a child. I am wearing a knee length dress, tights, coat, hat, and gloves and there is about 3 feet of snow on the ground. Winter never stopped me from wearing a dress! So, for the true girly girl out there, here is how I would dress up a skirt for the winter:

This skirt is made out of seersucker material. I love seersucker because it sews very nicely and it is totally wash and wear. No ironing involved, and let’s be honest, who likes to iron clothes?

I decided to use the green in the center of the flowers as my inspiration for the rest of the outfit.

This turtleneck is from Children’s Place, one of my favorite stores because they always have good deals and their clothes hold up to all the rough and tumble that comes with kids.

These CRAWLER COVERS are the perfect answer for wearing skirts in the winter. Warm and cute. Perfect combo! You can find this pair at Crawler Covers & More.

Last, but not least, I thought this adorable hat would be the perfect finisher. This adorable hat is made by Adrienne Kinsella.

Are you smiling yet? I certainly am.

Gobble, Gobble

We have been battling adenovirus for a week. This lovely virus caused bronchiolitis and croup in Baby Girl. So what I had hoped to be a very productive week for the shop has ended up just being a productive week as a mommy. My goal changed from "1 project a day" to "get baby healthy while attempting to entertain a 3-year-old that can't go anywhere all while maintaining sanity". Baby Girl is getting better. The 3-year-old has watched more TV than I would prefer. Mommy is sane. Mostly. And it's only Wednesday!

Somewhere in the midst of all this, probably in a less sane moment, I decided to do our pumpkin turkey. Although he couldn't really help much, Busy Boy loved thinking that he was helping make this. He was pretty impressed with our pumpkin turkey and now walks around the house saying, "What does the turkey say? Gobble, gobble, gobble."

Poor Baby Girl. She was feeling so rotten that night.

Cuddle Tag Blanket

I am so excited to finally add another item to my inventory! For a while there my goal of 15 seemed like it would be years away. Now that I have made it past Halloween I have a couple of weeks before I have to crack down and get Christmas presents done, make a veil for SIL, make a dress for Baby Girl for SIL wedding, and figure out what I am going to wear. That being said, I am thinking that 5 more items will be up by November 21st so stay tuned.

I made one of these for Baby Girl for her 1st birthday. She loves to walk around with it, the tags looped around her fingers. I wish I had one of these to cuddle up with! The material is so soft and I love the color combination of blues, greens, and yellows.

Update

The halloween costumes are still underway. The knit I am trying to sew has proved to be a lot less moody than the stuff for my sister's wedding. Finished product is coming soon (It better be. Right? Halloween is on Friday!)

Toodles' Future

I have been thinking alot about my sweet little shop. I want so much to get it launched and going, but do you know what? It takes money to make money. Such a shame. Also, I have been wondering when I want to do my grand opening. I mean, at what point to I decide it is "up and running?" So, here is the conclusion that I have come to. Little bit by little bit I will add inventory. My goal is to get to 15 items. Once I have 15 items I will have my grand opening. Stay tuned ... I have a few projects up my sleeves right this minute!

SOLD!

I'm doing things a bit out of order. I sold my first item! The tutu now has a proud owner (and a very cute owner, I might add). And the grand opening? It is coming soon, I promise! Just let me make it past my daughter's birthday party first ...

Headbands

When I was introduced to the world of little girl's headbands I had just had my daughter and I was so excited to learn how to make them! They are super simple, and really, anyone can make them. But I have learned that not everybody wants to make them themselves and that is what I am here for!

All wrapped up in comfiness ...

I have made several different versions of hooded towels. This style is by far my very favorite! Because of the way the hood is attached, the towel easily drapes around the child. I made this specific towel for my son's first birthday, so it is a couple of years old. He loves getting out of the bath almost as much as being in it. Wouldn't you, if you had this to snuggle with after?

You can definitely expect to see some of this hooded towel goodness in my etsy shop!

First Project: Tutu!

I think that tutus are absolutely adorable! They work great for photo shoots or dress-up. Throw a turtle neck and tights under it and you have a to-die for holiday outfit. This tutu is very simple. I love the color combination of lavender and amethyst. And all that puff! How can you resist that?!

Baby Steps

I've made a header. My blog looks cute. My etsy shop is on its way to its grand opening.

Just one more thing ...

Something to sell. Ah. Minor detail.

Don't fret. It isn't a detail I have ignored, it is just a detail I have yet to deal with. The purpose for my shop is selfish. I love to craft. I love to sew. I love to create. This isn't a business venture, per se. Would I like to make money? Of course. But really, I just want to share what I can do.

So what can I do? Well, lots. Headbands, tutus, dresses, PJs, aprons, bows, towels, and more. What I actually do will depend on demand. Isn't that the way it goes? To start out, my shop will be a bit of this and a bit of that. Once I see what YOU really want, I will narrow down my projects. As my first projects reach the finished stage, I will let you know about them!