Homemade burp cloths and toy balls

There's nothing like a new baby in the family to get you excited about sewing! My sister had a baby last week and since then I've had a blast making homemade gifts for him. There's nothing like homemade gifts for babies... I haven't felt much like crafting in the last few months (being pregnant will do that do you), so I was elated to have the motivation and the desire to whip out my sewing machine.

These are the best burp cloths ever. I am not a very creative person, but I can take sole credit for the design of these. I love them because they are extremely absorbent, and very durable. I still have every one I made for Ella and they are still in great shape after every day use for about a year. Perhaps I should do a tutorial one day when I'm not feeling lazy :)

The little ball is a smaller version of THIS and was great fun because it used tiny little scraps that were too cute to throw away. It fits perfectly in a toddler's hand and is a great size for a baby to push around.

A ball like this is really easy to make (see pics below) and it took me about 2-3 hours from start to finish. Pretty good for a project done entirely by hand.

Button Cover Pillow {sewing}

I saw this pillow at Pier 1 several weeks back and thought it would be a great way to satisfy my obsession with covering buttons. Have you ever tried making one? They are so much fun! If only I could find a place to buy these in bulk (for less than $2.29 for 5), I'd be a happy girl. What a fun way to personalize your space. The ruffle pillow is quite nice too.



image taken with my iPhone

We're moving to...

New York City!

We are thrilled to be going back to NYC sometime in September to a job the hubs is going to love. He got his number one choice for practice groups at his law firm, so we couldn't be happier for him.

Come visit!

Williams {Family Portraits}

Meet the Williams family...

We were incredibly lucky to shoot in one of their relative's gorgeous mansion. Yes, mansion. It was stunning and the light was perfect. I'm sure I'll never get to shoot here again, but I sure enjoyed the experience while it lasted!

And if you haven't figured it out already, I have no self control. Which is why I post about 50 pictures per preview because I get so excited!

this series cracks me up

last shot of the day, and then she crashed. Awwww

London or NYC? Thoughts?

Rumor has it that Kyle's official offer is in the mail... he already received an offer to work for the firm, but this letter will let us know which office and which practice group Kyle will be placed with.

So my question to you, dear readers: London or NYC?

Where do you think we'll be?


photos were taken of Ella's play sets: London in a Bag and NYC in a Bag

Charlie and Lola Birthday Party {Ella Turns Two}

I've decided that the cure for the post-holiday blues is to have a January baby. I got Christmas cleaned up with a cheery heart in anticipation of Ella's birthday party. I had a wee bit too much fun planning for this event, and I couldn't have been happier with how it turned out. The theme was a coloring party based on a Charlie and Lola book called "I Absolutely MUST do Coloring Now... or painting or drawing" which is absolutely perfect for her. She is obsessed with coloring and she's pretty bossy. The kids who came got the book as their favor to take home.

My favorite little details were the butterfly garlands, the balloons, the treats wrapped in baker's twine and glassine bags at the candy bar, and the paper bands around the sandwiches and salad wraps. The kids loved the little table covered with butcher paper that they could color. I think everyone got a kick out of the pink milk (strawberry milk) too.

The color palate sprung up from yards of fabric that I purchased to make Ella a quilt. I am still searching for the perfect quilt pattern, but it was fun to be able to use the fabric as decor with the gallery wraps and table cloths.

Oh, and of course, the absolutely INCREDIBLE cake! We hired our friend Pete to design and create this stunning work of art. I nearly cried when he carried it through the door because it was more perfect than I could have imagined. Seriously, if you want to make your party a smash hit, hire Pete to create a culinary work of art for you. My family put in a lot of work to help me with the food and getting all the details just perfect. Thanks to everyone!

Ok, I know I post too many pictures on a regular basis, but this post is going to take the cake. Epic, I tell you. I sifted through hundreds of images that my sister Erin took from the party and just had to share all of these with you and no less. She has an incredible eye for capturing details, and as you will see, she captured this event perfectly. After seeing these images, perhaps you'll feel like you were here at this intimate little gathering for Ella last weekend. Wish we could have invited all our family and friends!

The invitations were designed by Erin (woman of many talents, indeed). All images were taken by Erin and editing by yours truly, unless noted. There are about 10 pictures that I took, the rest belong to Erin. Enjoy!

Color Palate: red, yellow, pink, and orange (with a little pastel blue and green mixed in too)

MENU:
Chicken caesar Salad Wraps
Club sandwiches on wheat bread
Fruit kabobs
Veggie tray
Sliced tomatoes and Rondele on mini toast (with parsley garnish)n

pink milk
raspberry sherbet slush

Red velvet cake with cream cheese and raspberry filling
Candy bar with takeaway bags for the guests


THE FOOD:

THE CANDY BAR:

images by me

image by me

DECORATIONS: I cut out butterflies (shaped like hearts, like the butterflies from Charlie and Lola) from my paper stash and then sewed them together to make bunting. I took down a few of our pictures and replaced them with two 16x20 canvases I wrapped in fabric, and four 5x5 inch canvases that I put charm pack squares on, and then stuck pictures of Ella on them with yellow quilting pins. A dozen balloons, butcher paper on the table for kids to color on, and that was it. Easy and inexpensive.

images by me

images by me

AND THE AMAZING CAKE:

images by me

above images by me

images by me

Charlie and Lola {sneak peek of Ella's birthday party}

Here are a few teasers from Ella's birthday party. My amazing sister Erin documented the entire event and captured some incredible images. There are so many to share, I might have to blog the party in five parts. I'm not kidding.

These had me laughing outloud as I looked through the images she shot of Charlie and Lola exploring various parts of the candy bar. Thanks for making my day, Erin! With her permission, I'll be turning the picture of Charlie and Lola amid the parting favors (my mom's famous homemade chocolate chip cookies) into a 'Thank You' card like I've done here and here in the past.

Stay tuned for full coverage of this fabulous event ...