A poll....

I've been invited to be a vendor at the Bellies, Babies and Beyond Baby Expo in Strathroy on April 14th. I'm really excited to be asked to sew for a show that has such a specific audience. These are people who know what they are looking for, and come to purchase! I most likely will do my ouchie bags, since they are such a great item for moms and babies - just think, labour pains, colic, ear aches, fevers, etc. The reason I'm bugging all of you out in blogland is.... I'm looking into making some other things to sell (especially for this show!), and need your input! I've put together some ideas that I have seen elsewhere, and made a little gallery for you all. Now, keep in mind, I will not be copying these items exactly, since some have copyrights, and I'm not about selling something that is not supposed to be sold. I plan to come up with my own version, and make it missbossypants style. Take a look below and tell me what you think moms, babies and toddlers would enjoy.....

First off, aprons are soooooo hot right now. Pretty aprons with ribbons and bows and lace and ruffles.... well you get my drift. And also the kind of apron I seem to need in the kitchen - the full body ones - I can get pretty messy in the kitchen! What little girl (or boy) wouldn't love to have their own apron in their size to help mom and dad in the kitchen, or play with their own kitchen?
Here's a cute ruffle apron I just love!

While the ruffle one is pretty girly, this one can be for a boy or girl. Heck, pockets could be added to make it a tool apron!

Of course, with aprons, you definitely need some FOOD! I am IN L.O.V.E. with felt food! It's so cute!!! And the options are endless....
A little breakfast, perhaps?

How about some doughnuts? mmmmm....

I really like cookies.... :)

I also plan to put together a felt sandwich with bread, cheese, meat, etc. I'm sure I'll come up with some other munchies that would be great with an apron for that special little munchkin!

I've made this before for monkey's little friend, and it turned out well. It's a car cozy roll. Perfect for taking a little toy with you to the doctor's office, church, in the car, etc. It holds six cars, folds over, then rolls up and fastens with velcro - easy for little hands!

I've seen these on the market, and would love to offer these to new moms. A nice swaddle is sometimes all it takes to get the little one to settle down and have a lovely sleep.

Don't you just love the old-fashioned style of paper dolls? But they always rip and the fun runs out very quickly! These "paper" dolls are made of fabric, and their clothes attach with velcro. Clothing changes abound with this cute pair!

I wish I had one of these when my kids were in infant car seats. I remember draping a blanket over the handle to shade them from the sun/wind/sneezes, etc. but it wasn't handy when I wanted to pick up the seat and get going. Now parents can keep the sleeping babe covered (yet not smothered!) and still have access to the handle!


Well, there you have it. My creative juices are in overdrive as I prep and plan for this show. Now, if you don't mind....... :) please, pretty please....
write a comment below (click "add comment") and tell me what you think. Is there a market for these items? Any other great ideas I should look into? Any changes you would make to these items?
Thanks for your help!

Man Cold

The story of our lives in the household this week....




'nuff said.

Valentines goodness

Remember these?









This group of barrettes was just the start of the feverish crafting this week in preparation for the kids' Valentines parties at school.




Many more were crafted and finished for 16 lucky little girls. I hope they like them! Each set was clipped onto Valentines that were free downloads from some great blogs. Of course, Monkey chose a Valentine with Dinosaurs on it - is there anything cooler? Not in his mind!



















And for the boys - well, I had to do a lot of thinking on that one. Valentines day is so girly with its hearts and pink and cuteness..... My aunt gave me the idea to make zipper pulls. And who doesn't love a yummy looking chocolate chip cookie?
Sweetie told me that one of her classmates thought it was real and tried to take a bite out of it! They are about 3 inches in diameter, so kind of big for a coat zipper pull, but I think they're great as a cute decoration on a backpack zipper. I hope to see lots of bobbing cookies on backpacks as they run for the bus!



















I struggled with what I should make for the teachers. Monkey has 3 teachers at his daycare, and Sweetie has one full time teacher, so I had to think of something, and make 4 of them! (and get it done quickly - it was close to 11pm the night before when I STARTED these!) I came up with these... a twist on the zipper pull idea, but not cookies (I used up all my "cookie-coloured" felt). Cute pink and red heart zupper pulls to adorn a purse, tote, backpack, whatever they choose. I received a message on Facebook from one of Monkey's teachers, and she said she was so excited to receive it. I'm glad she likes it!










Now that Valentines are done, I'm on to my next project - my niece's birthday outfit, and a prototype cake. I feel the need to test run the little girl's birthday cake for next weekend, so we'll be indulging in some "birthday" Valentine/Family day celebration cake. Wish me luck!

A nice, warm, cozy ipod

I've sewn things for myself, my kids, my kids' friends, our dog Sunny, and my craft shows, but Mac had not yet been the lucky recipient of my sewing. There just wasn't anything I could think of that he would actually wear or use. UNTIL he decided to treat himself. He decided that he needed an ipod. not just any ipod, it had to be the Touch. I imagined him throwing it inot his coat pocket, and it being jostled around with keys, phone, change, etc. That precious screen would be toast in no time flat. So I decided he needed an ipod cozy. Out came the felted sweaters.

Ok, navy blue, nothing too wild or crazy.... a cute, yet not overstated button... I even remembered to leave a hole in the bottom for the earphones to come out! I did, however, forget the label with I was sewing the side seam (how could I forget that!?! I found just the right spot to put it, where it actually worked to reinforce the elastic sewn to the back.


I left it for him on the kitchen table for him to discover it when he came home from an afternoon shift. He says he likes it!
....although it hasn't left the house with him..... we'll wait and see...
I have an ipod shuffle, which will need a much cuter, more showy cozy. in time, I'm just waiting to find the PERFECT fabric..... :)

Linking party!!!

I linked my Valentine's hair clips to the somewhat simple Strut Your Stuff Thursday. It's a Valentine's theme, and I'm hoping to get some great ideas on the links from other bloggers!

Girly Valentines

For Valentine's day, I wanted to make a cute little something for Sweetie and Monkey's classmates. I decided rather easily what I would do for the girls. White, red, pink, hearts, it definitely lends itself much easier to girly gifts!

These ones are made from Dollar Store hair clips of varying colours and designs. Unfortunately, you can see the colour a little through the light pink felt, but oh well, they're still cute all the same! Besides, will a group of 6 and 3 year olds even notice?!? I think not, they'll be excitedly pinning them in their own hair!

This is a collection of some of my favourites.....

And the whole lot of 18. The original plan was to just give one clip per girl. I had 17 done, thinking that would probably be enough for both kids' classes, but Sweetie's class has 9 girls, and I thought, oh what the heck, just make one more, and there are enough for a set for each of them. So, now I have 18 clips.... that all face in the same direction. Kinda forgot a set needs one in each direction, or one of them will be upside down on their head! So, perhaps 18 more to come!
Oh well, they come together pretty quickly, and I do still have some time (9 days to go until the parties on the 12th). I will definitely be making some more to stay in our hair clip collection!