"Uh-oh Ava Diaper"

This morning I heard on the monitor: "Uh-oh Ava diaper, uh-oh Ava diaper" over and over. A few seconds later I heard "Jammies wash." Sure enough, when I went in to get Ava, her jammies were off, the diaper was on the floor, and she was in her crib playing happily and nakedly with her toys.

Crafty By Nature

I just got the news that I've been accepted to participate in Crafty By Nature!

Here is more information about the event from their site:

Located at lovely Shupp’s Grove in Adamstown, PA (Lancaster County), CBN will take place every first Sunday, beginning May through October 2009. A local treasure, Shupp’s Grove is an outdoor vintage and antique market. It’s pastoral setting will provide a shaded haven to showcase up-and-coming indie designers, crafters, artists, and makers.

Crafty By Nature is still looking for vendors, so head to the site if you're local. The first day will be May 3. I better get busy!

New Orleans Vintage Souvenir Tea Towel Bag

New in my shop:

Ava's Easter Dress

The first version of The Shirt Dress I made for Ava made her look like a sausage. It was so tight! I followed Dana's instructions, and her tutorial for turning a men's shirt into a dress is so clearly written and easy to follow. After the first flop, I decided to use a pattern that I already had instead of using my own (clearly flawed) pattern. Here's what I ended up with:




I was in too much of a hurry to take a before picture, but the dress is made from a jacket that belonged to my mother-in-law that was headed to Goodwill. I love the way the embroidery looks. Unfortunately, the jacket/dress is made of linen, which is not the best for toddler-wear.



Also, it was so cold on Easter that Ava had to wear a turtleneck under her dress. Don't worry, it wasn't the red one in the photo below- that was just for practice.

Yes, those are her socks on her hands. She wouldn't keep mittens on all winter, and now every time she has on socks but no shoes, the socks end up on her hands as "mittsocks."

A Last-Minute Easter Treat:: Bird Nests!

My colleague Marsha made these nests with her students last week, and they are so simple and delicious... this is a great no-bake Easter treat that even toddlers can help with. Here's what you'll need:

1 bag of butterscotch chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
10 oz. chow mein noodles
candy of your choice (jelly beans, m & m eggs, etc. I used Cadbury mini eggs in mine)
wax paper

Melt the butterscotch over low heat or use a double boiler. When melted, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Pour in 10 oz. chow mein noodles, and mix well. You may want to transfer everything into a larger bowl to do the mixing so the noodles are coated well. Use a large spoon and a rubber spatula to make "nests" on wax paper. Before the nests starts to set up, push some "eggs" into each one. This recipe makes 15-18 nests. Enjoy!

There's Hank up there, hoping one of those nests falls off the counter...

More Smocks

Ava was sick on Monday so I stayed home from school. During her nap I managed to get two more smocks made for my shop. Both are made from vintage sheets and are super soft.


I've had requests for these in grown-up sizes. Does anyone know of a good pattern for an adult smock that doesn't look like a maternity shirt?

Smocks

I love dressing Ava in these smocks. In the winter, they look really cute over long sleeves and jeans, and in the summer she can wear them with shorts or a pair of bloomers. This one is made from a vintage sheet, and is available in my shop. Look for more of these soon!