it's wedding season...

Whipped up this little ensemble for my 16 month old niece to wear to her uncle's wedding this past week. She wasn't directly in the wedding party, but her mom wanted a little something for her that would coordinate with the rest of the family. I created a little tutu out of berry colored tulle that had a slight shimmer to it. I embellished the skirt with a hand sewn flower atop a sheer bow made from various ribbons and seam binding. The top was bought, but needed a little something extra so I hand embroidered a strip of berry stitches along the font & back of the neckline. Then we added a coordinating flower clip to go in her hair. Altogether a sweet little outfit for an even sweeter little one...

A few more bags...

A few more bags to show all you lovely readers out there...The possibilities are seemingly endless when it comes to embellishing something standard from the store. I have had a lot of fun this summer trying new things (note the new fabric flowers below & the new fringe way, way below). I usually charge a mere $15-20 to embellish the beach bags, and to me, it makes a huge difference. If I am going to tote around tons of stuff (which is inevitable- I have two kids) then it might as well be fashionable & functional...

Another version of the oh-so-popular church bag...

it's summertime...lets camp

I have been seeing tons of little kid tents all over the Internet lately & have wanted to make one for my kids for quite some time now. I gathered a few ideas & got to work. I used 3 dowels & 4 skinny pieces of wood to create the A frame (around $11 at home improvement store). I drilled 3/4 in holes in the end of the wood (since the dowels were 3/4 in) and simply put it together. No glue required, since I wanted this tent to be easily taken down to fit in a small carrying bag.
After the tent was set up, I measured it out & happened to find 3 yards of natural colored muslin at the thrift store that day for $1.50 (with 3 yards of shocking pink cotton). I used about 2 yards of the fabric, so it cost roughly 50cents for the fabric. Once the muslin was hemmed & put on the frame, I new just what this tent needed....pennants! I had a stash of fabric scraps, so I cut out a couple dozen triangles of different sizes. I then decided that they needed to be sewn on the tent by hand for an extra feeling of handmade goodness.
We then took the tent outside for a little test-drive. It is a simple A-frame so the height & width is easily adjustable. My kids are into this tent. They run through it, fun around it, and love to lay under it to read a good book. I have a feeling much of our time spent outside for the rest of this summer will be spent in the shade of this little beauty...

what's that around your neck?

Whipped up a few necklaces this past week to find new uses for some great new fabric I had ordered. They are simple and colorful & make my plain-jane outfits a bit more interesting. These are my new go-to gift for the moment...perfect for little girls, big girls, and their moms as well.

Custom bedding...

A few months ago I was approached about doing some custom bedding for one very lucky little lady. I had done a few crib bedding sets before, but hadn't tackled an entire girl's bedroom. This was a humongous project to take on, but definitely one of my favorites thus far. The mama & I met a few times to pick out fabrics, discuss bedding options & get a "feel" for what the room should look like. Let me just say, the fabrics she chose were so cute and colorful, I did my very best to use up every last scrap of fabric (that's where the bunting came in). I made the quilt at the foot of the best first, then played around with some pillow options. I next worked on the bedskirt, which took a little perfecting. After the bedding was complete, we decided that curtains should be made to coordinate. Nothing is super matchy-matchy in here, but it all came together to form an eclectic, colorful little hideaway for a sweet little girl.

Overall I love the feel of the room, it will be one that can grow with the little lady occupying it & hopefully be enjoyed for many years to come...