A tiny Etsy find

After seeing several photos of the world's cutest little pins, I was elated when La Vie en Rosie uncovered the genius responsible. Gigi from Pinks and Needles has one of the sweetest stores on Etsy that I've come across. I placed a little order to see her handiwork in person and look what arrived: Of course I didn't want these little beauties to disappear in my sewing box, so I needed a new pin cushion to go along with them. A quick search later and I set to work on using up some of the little scraps accumulating in my studio. One thing lead to another and the pin cushions started multiplying. I guess I'm just going to have to add something sweet and tiny to my ever growing giveaway pile. . . Speaking of which, still not too late to enter my "Name my serger" contest! Leave your entries here.

The finishing touch

My sister has a nickname for my kind of personality: "Small Pumpkins." That's a story for another post, but basically it infers that I obsess over little details. So it's only fitting that the thing I was most excited about including in my two quilt presents this summer was the personal quilt labels I ordered from Sweetwater. All I had to do was iron this little beauty on the back of the quilt. Voila'. The perfect finishing touch. Next time I think I'll plan ahead a little better and sew around the edge just for looks, but I'm still super pleased with how they turned out. The service was super quick and so very tailored. Once I submitted my order, the ladies over at Sweetwater gave me a couple layouts to choose from to ensure my label was set just right. I will definitely be ordering these again, I just loved them!! Now don't forget, you still have time to enter my "Name my serger" contest! Leave your entries here.

A most perfect twirling uniform

I have wanted to try my hand at dressmaking ever since the peanut arrived. Until now, I've always been a little petrified of the curves naturally involved in such a project. The very thought of sleeves and necklines put me into a cold sweat. I took one look at Portobello Pixie's Claire dress and knew I had found the project worth trying out this adventure. Lucky lady that I am, I happened to win this pattern from a giveaway over at the Fat Quarter Shop. The timing and prize could not have been more perfect. I just managed to put the final touches on the dress this afternoon and we gave it a spin in the front yard: I love the bow in the back and that sweet little apron. The skirt is so full and made perfect for twirling. The peanut has referred to this as her "Pretty Princess Dress" and lit up the room when she was finally allowed to put it on. Now that I've finished my first dress, I can honestly say this was way easier than I ever imagined! I hit a few little stumbling blocks but managed to figure things out in the end. I can safely recommend this pattern for anyone out there interested in trying clothing that hasn't before. I'll be making other versions of this dress in the coming months, this was more of my "practice" model. Now I think I need to get my hands on the ruffle pants she offers, too! This was the perfect little mental break between quilting projects in my opinion. It was fast enough to not get me off schedule and has fantastic payoff. Can't wait to plan out another outfit soon.

Reader or Rockstar?

Last week I mentioned I made Diary of a Quilter's diaper clutch from her handy tutorial. The other fantastic tutorial I've gleaned from her site is for an adorable peanut-sized messenger bag. With the very best of intentions, I sewed up a library book toting version for the peanut. Comes complete with its own library card pocket right on the front: But as you can see, my peanut had other ideas of what to store within her tote bag. Seems it is just the right size to carry her new guitar: Maybe we'll put the bookworm fantasies aside for today and play rockstar instead. Don't all musicians need coordinated tote bags for their instruments?!

The Cat in the Hat does diaper duty

I'm finally making headway on my projects again. First up was this adorable diaper clutch for my friend Renee from book club. Renee's friend recently had a baby boy and outfitted the little guy's nursery in a Dr. Seuss theme. To make her gift more personal, Renee hunted down this awesome Seuss fabric to match the decor, isn't that sweet? I've made a couple of these clutches now, and they were an absolute cinch with help from the tutorial from Amy at Diary of a Quilter. She has a handful of tutorials that are so easy and completely addictive. I credit her with sparking my renewed interest in sewing this last spring. Finding her helpful step-by-step photo tutorials gave me the courage to try something other than quilting with my machine. Thanks, Amy!

Gepetto's new look

Yesterday I was all about the big fancy store, today I'm looking at independent toy creators on Etsy for special items to add to our collection. We have a new found obsession with building towers in the living room, so blocks were first on my list. How adorable are the following sets? How will I ever choose?! My peanut has an extreme fondness for all things animal. I loved finding these fantastical ocean creatures in wooden form from You're Inspired: These eye-popping beauties from Lissa would be sure to create magical towers for future fairy princesses to live within: On a simpler scale, these adorable alphabet blocks would make such a cute toy or a room decoration if I had gone with the primary color scheme I originally had in mind. Lilly & Lou are even offering them for a discount right now, might want to jump on them before I do: But at the end of the day, I think I'm probably going to have to keep it simple with a natural classic set like the one from Four Corners Toys. You just really can't go wrong with the all natural look and I love that it keeps things open for imagination: I'm still hunting for just the right doll stroller (we destroyed our first one with love) and a puzzle set. I would love to hear where you're finding great toy options lately, let me know in the comments!

Christmas in July

Growing up, my parents decided to spread the giving around throughout the year vs. having enormously generous holidays. As we grew and needed more challenging toys, they were provided to us on random days throughout the seasons. We've taken on a similar philosophy with our little peanut in her first 2 years. I think it gives us time to figure out what her preferences are and then find just the right thing at the right time. Yesterday I spent a good hour absolutely clearing the living room of all the outdated toys littering the floor. This morning was a bit of Christmas in July as peanut and I made a big pilgrimage to the local Land of Nod outlet and store. If you aren't lucky enough to have a store near you, be sure to check out their web site and catalog. They have some of the best copywriting I've ever seen and carry such a phenomenal collection of quality items. I couldn't be more ecstatic about my finds: First off is the crowning glory of today's hunt: A $5 guitar found at the outlet!! It's missing a string which I assume can be easily replaced. Next to it you see a $5 wooden recorder. We took a Kindermusik class this spring and peanut fell in love with all the teacher's instruments. Now we'll start up our own band at home. At the store, I practically fell over when I laid eyes on this: I remember having a nearly identical tool kit complete with tin carrying case and rubber saw. It brought back so many of my own memories, I had to get it. I can't tell which I love more, the little saw or that little drawing of the girl on the metal case. Where do you even see metal toys these days?! So excited they didn't make it plastic! And finally, I picked up several card games to give us something more specific to play together other than our pretend games. I absolutely loved "Memory" as a kid but these sets won me over with their darling illustrations and bright colors. I admit this is the part of parenting I find the most exciting and fun--sharing the childhood memories I cherish most with my own little one. These are just some of my kiddie fave's, what classic toys do you remember as a kid? Have you been able to find them to share with your own children?

Trash Ties

Expected delivery #1 arrived today. I'm so excited to try Heather Bailey's Trash Ties out on the peanut. Her hair is so fine and slippery, we've been using these relatively painful tiny latex bands to keep her hair out of her eyes. I was worried the Trash Ties wouldn't wind tightly enough around her piggy tails to hold them, but sure enough they worked! So excited to have found a cuter option than clear latex rubber bands! I put these in her hair in about two seconds. Now I need to go back and read through the pamphlet to see other suggested styles for them. I can't wait till her hair grows out just a pinch longer for full blown pig tails! Soon enough, I know.

Answered prayers

I have been hunting around for labels to attach to the back of my quilts and other assorted projects. I've stumbled across a few of them at some of the local big box stores but nothing fit the image I had in my mind. Until now. I'm So excited to have just come across the personalized labels from Sweetwater! Not only are these labels exactly what I've been searching for, but they're hosting a giveaway on their blog. I hate to even share this news for fear of decreasing my own chances, but if you're in the market for labels, I highly recommend you rush on over there right now and leave a comment. I've got my eye on design L101, but honestly any of the designs would be just right.