You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2009.
All you mommies of boys know, there are far more cuter clothes out there for girls than there are for boys. FACT. OF. LIFE. Maybe b/c boys could care less. Put a shirt and shorts on my son, he is ready for the day. His twin sis, she’s a complete different story. She likes to go through her drawers and search for clothes SHE wants to wear. Never mind it’s almost 90 degrees outside, she will still want to wear her long sleeved Minnie shirt! ugh. AND she’s only 3! yikes! AND contrary to my husband’s beliefs, it is NOT b/c she sees me at the closet saying out loud “I have nothing to wear” while staring at a closet full of clothes and trying on different outfits. Once you have kids and you have to take them to swim class every morning and give them a shower there while trying your best not to get soaked, it’s all about the tank tops and shorts!
So I’ve been on this “sewing high”. I recently discovered a blog, Made, by a detail oriented mommy named Dana. She gives the BEST tutorials, I mean, there are pictures galore for EVERY step. You know it took her FOREVER to put the tutorial together and I can very much appreciate that. I’ve been eyeing her tutorial on the shirt dress but alas, the only shirt my husband says is worthy is at the dry cleaners (and I’ve been too busy/lazy to go pick it up). So I went on to her next tutorial, the market skirt. Can I just say CUTE!
The colors are a bit muted (for my taste) but what can I say, my daughter insisted this was the fabric her heart desired! Since I’m a newbie to sewing clothes, it took me a bit longer than the 2-3 hours and I would have to say that the pockets were the easiest for me. Partly, b/c I cheated. They are pockets but the buttons (fabric covered buttons made from the leftover seersucker) are purely attached for aesthetic reasons. I had planned on having her wear the skirt for a special day with her grandparents tomorrow but she decided, naturally, that today would be the day.
and how could I resist?
big sis
We were so excited when the the lovely Rose from The Scarlet Peacock wanted to do a lil feature on us and our shop. Her blog is super cute and spotlights lots of Etsy shops. So, swing on over and learn how you can win a free gift from us!
Read the Q & A here.
big sis
We get lots of good ideas from custom requests esp when we need a lil push to try different things. So of course, we loved it when when we got a request for a doll with blue eyes. Well, I ventured out a bit more and tried brown eyes, but the color was a bit darker than desired.
not a great picture of the eyes but yes, they look black. You can only tell if you look REAL close 
But it’s definitely not as dark as black. Naturally, huh?
Looks like I am the last one on this planet to join Facebook. And after months and months of my husband, sister and friends telling me to join, I just might.
big sis
I just created a Facebook Fan Page for our shop. I feel like everyone and their mamas are on FB now! Time magazine says that the most clicked on category in the internet world for Gen Y-ers is social networks. I don’t think it’s just for teens or college kids though; more and more 30+ adults are on FB. It’s time consuming, it’s work, it’s fun, it’s a great way to stalk people, and it’s a great way to advertise as well.
I never realized how big of a role internet plays in my life. Isn’t it crazy? To think I just purchased a Japanese Embroidery Book from Nigita Japan last night via Paypal…saw pictures of my friend’s newborn who I haven’t talked to in 10+ years…did some bartering for baby stuff through Craigslist…all while sitting in front of a computer. What is life going to be like for my 7 month old when she’s my age????
-lil sis
My love for patchwork continues. This project is so long overdue! I made a taggie blanket for Lila last night. Although I didn’t have a variety of ribbons (mostly grosgrain), I still made one with my limited stash.
She went to town with it today! What’s up with babies loving tags? She can spot a tag a mile away. I’m hoping to make another one but in a flower shape since I have some minky leftover. One to play with in the car and the other to be kept at home.
I followed Mama’s Doodles tutorial but just made one side patchwork. The pink dot fabric is minky which is super soft! The other squares are 100% cotton flannel.
Here is the other side:
Maybe I’ll make a run to Joann’s to get some more ribbon with different textures. I had to scrounge for ribbons. I even included some from free ribbon that I got as a gift attached to an Anthropologie present (neon green). I’m a recycler, remember!
Doesn’t Hello Kitty just make you smile? My friend once gave me the lowdown on how to spot fake Hello Kitty versus the real thing. I hope my ribbon portrays the real thing.
This project is ideal because it’s one that can be thrown into the wash time and time again. I washed it this morning and it came out fine. If the flower blanket comes out decent, I’ll post 
These blankies would be perfect to give as gifts.
-lil sis
So I consider myself a beginner sewer, at best. ok…maybe on the verge of being at an intermediate level. For those of you who don’t know, my sis and I only started sewing when we opened up the shop a year and a half ago. So when I come across a project that I really want to do, I have to do tons of research and studying on it before attempting it. Probably more my personality than being a beginner. Anyways, my twins have been going down their own checklists and asking me to make this and that for them. So when my 3 year old son asked for this
I knew my daughter would be right behind him asking for something. Well, ever since Martha Stewart had Heather Ross on her show, I was dying to try out her smocked dress pattern (some people call it shirred, some call it smocked, whatever). My daughter was all for it as long as the fabric had Minnie Mouse ALL over it. DONE!
I watched the segment a few times and read the comments before diving into it, and I was already feeling iffy about it; so many people seem to have problems with the elastic thread and getting the fabric to “smock”. I followed the directions on the elastic thread package and wound the thread tight. My first line failed, did not smock. So tried it again BUT wound it very loose. almost to the point that if you let go of the thread, it would easily unravel. This is what mine looked like.
PERFECT!
Here’s what my first line looked like.
it smocks a bit on its own
here’s what it looks like after all 6 lines have been done
now, this is before you even iron it! smocks quite a bit.
end result
She’s wearing it a bit high but that’s b/c we (her and I) hate it when her straps fall off her shoulders I even made some straps with the leftover fabric! My daugther is petite so I only had to purchase 3/4 of a yard. Do you know how proud I am of myself? She has been wearing her dress all day and even told my sis how she could make one for Lila. I am loving it! I may even make one for myself!
big sis
Update: The smocked dress pattern is technically called the Mendocino Sundress.
So I did it. After 4 weeks of “mommy/daddy and me” swim class, I signed my twins up for “preschool” swim class. The ONLY difference is no mommies or daddies go into the pool. It’s sink or swim! We were the oldest ones in the mommy and me class so the teacher encouraged us to move on up. I, of course, prepped the kids all weekend long and they weren’t jumping for joy but said they would do it.
Day 1: they were led down the ramp into the pool by themselves and halfway down, my son begins to sob. Don’t think that it helped that the other kids were repeating the class and my son and daughter were the only ones scared out of their minds. He cried for 25 minutes out of the 30 and almost made himself vomit. At the end, I felt SO bad and it took everything for me not to jump in the pool and drop the class, but hey, MUST cut the umbilical cord at some point right? My daughter who is usually the timid one, did SO well and only whimpered b/c her brother was crying. Very sweet. Now, if I could only stop her from hitting and yelling at him at home!
Day 2: they went willingly to class and again halfway down that darn ramp, my son made THE face…you know, the one where the bottom lip starts to quiver and you just know, just a second later, there will be uncontrollable sobbing. much better with only a few tears and breakfast stayed in their tummies. We shall see how day 3 goes tomorrow.
Anyways, my son, who is 3 by the way, has been in and out of “phases”. He went from trains, to cars, to superheros, to Star Wars (he can even talk like Jabba the Hut), and his current obsession, KISS…the rock band. Don’t ask. Don’t know. Don’t remember. But all day long, he sings “I wanna rock and roll all night and poddy e-vewy-day” while he periodically sticks out his tongue. He goes through these things in spurts but always comes back…to ALL of them. And how does it affect me? one day he’ll ask me to make him a mask, another day it’ll be a cape, and now he wants me to make him a KISS costume/outfit. What am I? I generally say “ok” and then hope he moves onto something else, which he usually does. But now that the craft fair is over, I have no excuses. Must start so he can check things off his checklist, b/c apparently he has one!
Currently on my desk:
a reversible superhero cape. b/c you know if I make him a Batman one, he will SOON ask for a Superman one.
I took these tutorials here and here and combined them to get the shape that I liked. Crossing fingers that this will not end up shoved in one of his toy bins only to see the light of day once…sigh.
big sis
So lil sis and I both agreed that we would take a short break from sewing post-Renegade but after the positive feedback we got from those who visited our booth, our custom doll listings magically appeared in our shop. So our one week break became obsolete but all for very good reasons. Afterall, one should NOT deprive a lil girl of a dollie! Lil sis worked on a red head with blue eyes.
Too cute! We are definitely going to have to experiment with different color eyes on our dolls. Wait a sec…I’m having a deja vu moment.
This lil sis is flying all the way to the UK.
This past week has been busy with convos (aka emails). We have gotten some pretty interesting requests…bride and groom, to make a doll pattern for another shop. Hmmm…unfortunately, lil sis and I have very little time to craft so when we do get that extra hour here and there, it is always for ourselves or the shop. I’m already starting a get a bit nervous for the winter. Lila will be having her very 1st birthday party and you know lil sis is going ALL OUT! We are 4 months away and lil sis has already asked for my help! You can be sure lots of sewing will be involved.
With all the holidays, festivities, shopkeeping…you think it’s too early to start making Halloween and Christmas gift bags for the twins’ classmates? Maybe I should start X-mas shopping. Where are my checklists???
big sis
My friends poke fun at me because I like to keep used wrapping paper, bags, ribbon scraps, etc. You name it! I can always find a use for them. Some may think I’m being cheap, but I say I’m going green!
Big sis had to man our booth Sunday afternoon without me while I was off to attend a wedding at the Four Seasons. Some highlights of the wedding included the lobster salad, free photobooth (btw, it never gets old making ugly faces at the camera), scrapbooking station (WOW – didn’t spend too much time here though), open premium bar (had my fill on cosmos and tried chambord champagne for the first time), and finally the name card holders.
See:
I stayed until the wee hours of the night dancing to MJ songs and realized while packing up to leave that these adorable name card holders were left on the tables to be thrown away. Hmmm…I kept thinking would it be so cheesy if I took a handful of them home? I mean honestly, there were at least 40+ just scattered around on empty tables as most of the guests had left. I didn’t know what I would need these for, but I thought they were just too precious to be dumped in the trash. Although I had only a clutch in hand, I was able to take some without people thinking I was a weirdo. I stashed them in my trusty breastpump bag. Yes, I brought my pump with me to the fair and to the wedding. It was a good thing because I ended up being a lifesaver to my friends who didn’t have room in their clutches for their camera, sunglass case, makeup pouch, etc.
Anyhow, I’m happy to say I have found a use for these mini trees!
Our new backdrop for our pictures!
Go green!
-lil sis
I’ve never been the type to splurge. I think it’s the way I was raised and that is def one of the things I’d like to pass on to my kids. i.e., how to be an “efficient” shopper (yeah, I know…whatever that means!) See, I’m not like my husband, who likes to hem and haw over an item and then eventually buy only to return it a week later. sigh. so. tiring. I’m the one who will look and look and if I find myself thinking about it, I know it’s something I must purchase. so tiring too, I’m sure I wasn’t always like this. I’m sure it has to do with me staying at home AND having my kids’ future to think about. Anyways, so when I find something I really like, I get super excited about it!
I purchased a few journals at Renegade and everytime I look at them on my desk, I get so giddy over them.
How cute are they? They are recycled book covers (plus a few sheets of the actual book pages scattered amongst blank acid free paper) that have been re-bound into a journal/sketchbook.
What a great idea! and seriously, who could resist these classics. They can be found here. I hope I can eventually write/doodle/checklist in them.
So now that Renegade is over, I kinda feel lost. For the past 2 months, I was a mad woman sewing until the wee hours. And now? Gosh. What to do with myself. My house is cleaned. My lovely desk is organized. Yes, the shop needs some updating and lil sis and I are working on that at the moment. My 3 year old son wants a strap for his guitar. WHAT? I’m crafty but WHAT? I’m secretly hoping that he will forget about it just like he did with his cape, mask, KISS costume (WHAT?!). And I’m completely happy with my Altoids box. I think I will give myself a week off before I get to work on items for winter. the things I do to stress myself out.
big sis
