Customer Appreciation

A customer sent me a photo this week of dresses she made using Woodlands Squirrel and Hedgehog fabrics purchased from my shop. 

With her permission, I share this shot of her adorable girls in their new dresses.  Aren't they sweet.... and the dresses look great!

It is so much fun to see the wonderful creations people make with the fabrics they buy. 

Making a Laminated Paper Doll

Quayside Publishing Group recently sent me a copy of Playing with Stencils by Amy Rice.  It is a fascinating book, with all kinds of information on how to design and cut stencils from your own drawings or photographs.  The book includes 20 step-by-step projects and a gallery of stencil designs for use on furniture, tiles, fabric, or any thing else you would like to infuse with your own personal style. 

My granddaughter and I spent a pleasant hour making a paper doll from one of the included designs.  Here's how we did it. 

First she colored the paper doll and dresses with crayons.  Alternately, you could use watercolor pencils, or some other coloring medium.

I wanted the doll to be a little more durable, so came up with the idea of layering wide packing tape over the colored pieces before cutting them out.  You could also print the pattern on cardstock if you like.

It is fine if the coloring goes outside the lines, 

because you will be making everything nice and neat in the next step.

Cut out the doll and dresses.  

Choose a dress, fold the built in tabs over the dolls shoulders, and enjoy.

We found an oversized envelope to store everything between play sessions.  You can also design your own outfits for this doll, using the doll body as a stencil for sizing.

Enjoy ♥

Feature Monday

Today's feature is all about little girl's summer dresses.  If you have a daughter, granddaughter, niece, or friend's child to shop for, you will enjoy checking out these pretty frocks.

It was hard to pick just a few from among the hundreds available on Etsy.  I chose these as much for the adorable little girls wearing them, as for the outfits themselves. Click on the link below each picture to go to the shop where it is available.

Made by Tracy from Its a Bows Life

Designed by Rene Richardson of Rain Rene

Sewn by Elizabeth Scheffler from Lucky Lizzys

Vibeka Falk from Gentry's Closet made this little monogrammed number

Marianne from The Naptime Project made this sweet dress

Find this dress at Chelsea Rose Baby

Lindsey Essary of Little 4 Awhile sewed this one

Beach worthy attire from Palm Tree Princess

Available at the Pink Mouse shop

I have a granddaughter right around this age. 

I'm sure that she could find something to love among these beauties! 

Happy Shopping♥

Thankful Thursday

Thursdays will now be Thankful Thursdays. Not that we don't have something to be thankful every day, but I read recently that writing a thankful journal once a week can be very effective in one's overall perspective and success in life.

I'll start with a funny kid story. I love the way kid's think. This one comes from Cindy Scott from KidSpirit.com:

When my youngest daughter, Alicyn was about 3 1/2 years old, she had a terrible fear of spiders. California is full of spiders. You knock them down today, they are back tomorrow. Everytime she went to the "potty" she would scream for me to come in with her if she saw a spider, even in the furthest corner of the room. I would assure her that the spider was more afraid of her than she was of it. I would tell her to pretend the spider wasn't there and that it wasn't even thinking about her. One evening, Alicyn was in the bathroom. She yelled for me to come and she yelled loudly. I asked her what she wanted. She yelled back, "Mom, there's a spider in here and he is thinking about me".

[especially for my daughter who dislikes spiders intensely. I can picture this happening when she was little]

So back to Thankful Thursday. A few things I am thankful for today, in no particular order:

The gorgeous colors of the trees and grasses during this season. Their last hurrah before dying for the winter, and then reblooming in the spring. It makes me think of the pattern our lives can have - a beautiful maturing as we age, getting better, not just older. Eventually falling asleep, and then rebirth when Christ comes back.

That my husband and myself both got out of work early today.

My family. Especially that I might get to see one of my granddaughters later today.

Health

Taking a walk outside, the weather is still warmish, almost 70 today.

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If you have any cute children's stories, please share!