earth day birthday

happy birthday, three, originally uploaded by varenia.

My firstborn daughter. My apple-girl. My earth day baby. Three years old today.

Please, don't let her grow up so fast, seems like just YESTERDAY I was holding her, newborn, all pink (ok, red) and round and rosy and so overwhelmingly feminine, even at birth.

We did all the sweet girls favorites, decorated for her party, hit the beach (balloons in tow, of course), finished the cake (pink raspberry with strawberries on top, yum), read lots of stories, colored, colored, colored, and partied. Quite a fiesta.

This mama is all tuckered out, but I'll post the post-beach party pics tomorrow, when I come down off my sugar high/crash and burn. What a great day.

the grass is always greener...

The Halter Dress in Grass, originally uploaded by varenia.

Finally, after a few mock-ups, I've finished my retro-inspired baby halter dress for Spring/Summer. I LOVE this bright green (grass, I call it) and the turquoise and gray. So lovely and fun for the sunny weather. The best part is the reversibility, as any mama of little ones knows! Dirt on your dress? Stuff on your shirt? Just flip it around! I have other fabric choices in the works...

Simple Crafting

The Simple Bib in Mums , originally uploaded by varenia.

Today was a low point in my world of sewing and crafting. I worked so hard drafting a pattern for a summer dress, and nothing was coming together. UGGHHH. I was getting so frustrated I just had to step away from the project for a little bit, and decided to switch gears and do something totally different for awhile, so I whipped up this bib for the shop. Turned out pretty cute, especially for an everyday simple bib, the type of thing I like to throw on Piper casually as she decimates whatever I place in front of her. I'm pondering creating a second type of bib for the shop, something nicer, more of the going out to dinner or having a birthday variety, with chenille backing instead of flannel... Feels good to be productive even in the midst of a complete pattern-drafting-sewing-coordinating disaster.

new banner!

Here's my new banner now presiding over my Etsy shop! It's courtesy of pixelbypixel, and I love the bright green! Just lovin' it.

looking toward spring

The Apple Pinafore, originally uploaded by varenia.

I have been putting together a small collection of pieces for my Spring Collection for Whole Grain Baby, and this is the first complete piece! I love the combination of these prints, both from Alexander Henry. Apple has this on over jeans for the cooler weather, but I think it would be really cute over a skirt for the summer, or even with just bloomers. Now available on Etsy.

the birthday pinafore

the piper pinafore, originally uploaded by varenia.

i finally finished this darling (if i do say so myself... sorry, i'm so hard on myself when it comes to my sewing, but this one really makes me smile) dress-slash-pinafore for piper's first birthday. i love just about everything about it, including the fact that it's completely reversible to red and cream colored polka dots on the other side. you know how i am about polka dots.

and almost as exciting, the completion of this dress has prompted me to go ahead and open the etsy shop i've been pondering for quite some time. i've already set it up (there's a link in the sidebar directly to the shop), but am still working on getting my listings together. yay! to start it'll be primarily blankets and select pieces (like the pinafore) for babies and toddlers.