A is for Audrey

Baby Audrey (to be born to my own baby sister) will be here soon, and we just had a fun baby shower for her. Val, the Martha Stewart of our family, hostesses the best parties and this one was no exception. I especially loved these classy invites and the little tags she had on the box lunches she'd put together:

I had fun sewing a few things.
First, a nursing cover (on the left). Don't you love the Amy Butler print? At right is one I made for myself – fabric from JoAnns.


Second, a car seat cover. I love this idea. You can cover the babe while sleeping or shade from sun etc, and still have access to the car seat handle (not the case with a draped blanket.) Also, if you're like me, the blanket is always falling off and you have kind strangers chasing you down in store parking lots to return it. Plus, isn't it so pretty?

My favorite detail is this beautiful button. It doesn't show well in the photo, but they are kind of shimmery, like mother of pearl with the floral pattern engraved into it.

This might seem like a strange choice for the lining, but I heard that the black and white geometric patterns are stimulating to baby's vision, and since this is the side that baby gets to see...


Both fabrics for this project, the buttons, ribbon, and magnetic snaps are from JoAnns. I made up my own pattern.

Another Activity Bag

I'm making these regularly for gifts, but I don't always remember to take a picture. This was for Emma's friend Peyton.

Flower cuff

My beautiful mother brought me some flowers last Sunday when I invited her to dinner. They were so fragrant and lovely! I'm so ready for spring and inspired by all the flowers I'm seeing in fabrics and fashion right now. I decided to make my own flower accessory: a flower cuff.

Material Girl

As expected, I haven't had much time for sewing in the weeks since baby N joined our family. I did squeeze in one little project for a Christmas gift. It was for my mom, a fabulous seamstress and quilter. I can't remember a time when there weren't stacks of fabric around her sewing machine. It has been something my dad has teased her about for years. There are those of us, however, that can completely understand the addiction.

Marie-Thérèse Gown GIVEAWAY!!!!

Marie-Thérèse Gown GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is the most amazing little dress. Someday I might attempt something like this. I could never ever give it away! I don't know how she does this, but I think you can see why this is one of my favorite blogs to follow.

Paper dolls for little fingers

This is an idea that I've been dying to try for a while now. A little background: I love paper dolls. My favorite are Dolly Dingle. I had a huge collection when I was a little girl. My sister and I spent hours cutting them out and playing with them. We each had a little yellow pencil box that we kept them in. When I saw some Dolly Dingle books on eBay I couldn't resist. Emma is still too little to manage the paper tabs and since these seem to be out of print, I came up with an idea for how she could enjoy them without their being destroyed. This is the result of my trial. I copied a set onto window cling and cut each outfit out, trimming off the tabs. The color isn't as vibrant, but is good enough. Then, I laminated the doll. The window cling dresses adhere perfectly to the lamination and to the glossy folder I am storing her in. Emma can stick and pull off the dresses and hats over and over. I have no idea if the color will begin to wear off after awhile. I guess we'll play with this set and see how it goes. A friend who saw this thought it would be cool on the inside of a car window while taking a longer trip. Great idea!

Activity Bag

Not much time or energy for all the projects I want to do these days... but I have managed to squeeze in one or two more little things. First is the Activity Bag. I think these are great for church, for longer doctor's office visits or even for road trips. Similar to Emma's preschool bag, we personalized a tote for her friend Morgan's birthday present. Then I made a crayon roll in coordinating fabric. These are so easy and so handy! (You know the box or ziploc baggie full of crayons will inevitably be dumped all over the floor.) Then we filled the bag with a princess coloring book, a few other coloring activities, notebook, flash cards, and other little toys. For an older girl I think paper dolls or lacing cards would be great too. I've already started a second crayon roll for Emma who had a hard time parting with it. It should be finished before she is home from the birthday party.

I've also been sorting through and getting clothes ready for new baby and realized I needed some more drawer space. I found a really inexpensive, narrow set of drawers at a yard sale (just perfect for a small corner or closet) and repainted it white and added a few decals to girlie it up. I have a lot to learn about refinishing furniture! This was my first ever attempt but it was fun to try on something that wasn't valuable.