Candy Corn Dresses

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, then you already saw this sweet little 

"Candy Corn Dress."

I always get asked if I sell any of the girls clothes I make, which I usually don't.  BUT, I decided to make these available in my shop as a pre-order.  They are available for purchase until Monday September 30th.  Those orders will be shipped on or before October 4th.  There may be a few to purchase after the 4th, but no guarantees.

My post is short and sweet today.  It is Alaire's preschool day, which means I am packed into my Odyssey with a mapped out plan of errands to try to get done.  Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading.

Sewing For Baby: Car Seat Swaddler and Arm Saver

I have made a lot of handmade goods for baby Stella.  (Does anyone else call their babies "Baby ____"?, because it's a thing around these parts.)

Here is one of my favorite things I've made for her.  I know I am going to love it more as the temperature drops too.

Introducing: Car Seat Swaddler.  I didn't invent it, but I did make it and I do love it.  

(FYI: You are taking your own risks using this or any other car seat cover which is placed between the car seat and your child post manufacturing.)

A friend gave me her old "Car Seat Arm Saver" so I recovered it to match.

When I photographed this I didn't have Stella yet, so we used "Baby Cuckoo"

Obviously you would only put the top flap down to run to the car or into a store.

There it is all swaddled up.  It has been awesome.  The best part is that you don't have to adjust any seat belts to use it.  You just lay it in the car seat and pull the buckles through.

 This is what it looks like laid out on the floor incase you wanted to make one.  I have a tutorial to make your own arm saver, but I'll be back with that another time.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Sewing: Princess Costumes

Alaire loves to play dress up.  I love to sew.  I love to make more work for myself than needed.  

And this is why my child has Disney princess costumes that are probably replicas of the ones they wear in Disneyland.  I'm kidding... kind of.

Snow White

I. LOVE. THIS. CAPE.  (more than my 3 year old does)

Cinderella

Rapunzel

Rapunzel was the most work of them all.  

Of course you can't be Rapunzel without the hair.  

At first she said the dress was too big (puffy) and refused to wear it.  I almost cried, literally almost cried.  Then I told her I was going to give it to someone else ( I was not threatening, I was serious) because someone was going to get some use out of this thing.  She has come around though and loves it.  I love that I can throw these in the wash and they are still in great condition.  (Cinderella has been washed about 50 times and still looks new.)  

She wants to be Ariel for Halloween, so I am working on figuring out that one.  She wants to wear the tail and "bra."  She wants it to be a real tail so that her feet don't show and she can't walk.

Alaire: mom I want it to cover everything so that I can't walk 

Me: well then you can't trick or treat because you will have to sit in the wagon the whole time

Alaire:  Mom you can just carry me to the door while I sit like this (as she is posing like Ariel does on the rock with her legs thrown off to the side)

Me: we will have to talk about this another time. (No way am I carrying her door to door!)

(All three of these costumes were made with commercial patterns.)

Alaire's Room: Chevron Quilt

After I ordered all of the fabric for Stella's nursery, I realized that I still hadn't finished (or started) all of the things I had planned for Alaire's Room.  I already had most of the supplies, so I decided to make her a quilt for her bed.  I didn't have a ton of yardage of the prints for her room, so I went with a chevron pattern with a solid white and gray background. 

Making quilts is VERY time consuming.  I had to work on this every spare moment or I knew I would never go back to it after I took a break.  

I love the way it turned out and so does Alaire.  She sleeps with it every night.  It is the perfect size to borrow to sit on the couch with too!  (I might need one for myself)

And tell me you rolled yourself up in a blanket cocoon as a child.  

I taught Alaire how to do that and it was a hit.

And here is the finished quilt. 

Thanks for reading.  Have a great day.

Stella Magdalena Palmer

It's been two months.

I haven't called.

I haven't wrote.

I've been busy.

All good things, of course.

 Our second sweet baby girl, Stella Magdalena Palmer, was born on July 19th.

 She was 7lbs and 19 3/4 inches long.

 She has dark hair.  Little fuzzy curls, just like her sister.

 We all are madly in love with her.  She is a great sleeper. (7 hours the first night home.)

She only cries when she is hungry.  She loves to be held, which I don't mind. 

Alaire has welcomed the change.  She loves her sister.  She loves telling everyone about her sister.  She loves tickling her sisters feet.

 She has already taken her first ten hour road trip.  She was a champ.  We stopped to feed her twice.

 I don't know what I did to have such great babies.

 They each have melted my heart.

When I see them together I am reminded of how truly lucky I am.

I have enjoyed almost every moment possible as our new family of four.

They really do grow up so fast.

Constantly changing and discovering new things.

 I love each tiny little milestone along the way.  

 Becoming a mother for the second time was just as amazing as the first time.  

Maybe even more amazing.  I love seeing Alaire's excitement and love for "Baby Stella" too.  

Our new family is just as I pictured it to be.  Each day is a growing and learning experience.  I am constantly being tested and pushed to give more of myself, which means letting go of some things too. 

I love where we are at right now and I am trying to take it all in: the newborn smell, the tiny cries, the almost 4 year old fits, the sister talk, the chaos, independent preschoolers, the doll sized clothing and a lot more time hanging out on the couch.  This chapter of life will be over before I know it.  As easy as it is to wish the time away to easier days, I am trying to love the moments that are happening now.  It really isn't too hard to do with the company I keep.

Thanks for reading.  I will be back with lots of fun things to share.  I have been doing a lot of projects this summer too, but I had to share my biggest summer project first (Stella of course).

(These photos are of Stella when she was five days old.  They were done in the hospital room by Bella Baby Photography)