Union Jack Appliqued Sweatshirt

In honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee tomorrow, I wanted to make something for little miss that was fun and patriotic. I got my in inspiration from a Union Jack logo'd sweatshirt that I spotted in GapKids a few weeks ago but I didn't like it's hefty price-tag. So I thought I would try my hand at machine embroidering one myself.

I've embroidered a onesie or two but never tackled a project this big. And since the weather this weekend is going to be cool and wet, I hope little miss will get a lot of use out of it!

Oh and in case anyone is interested, I'll put together a short post on how I put it all together later this week ;)

Charity Shop Booty...Girl's Shirred Skirt

My latest find from my local charity shop was this adorable little shirred girl's skirt for only £2.50! I fell in love with it's fun colors, retro pattern and it's amazing price tag (of course). Oh, and it's also hand made!

It's one size too big for little miss this year so I purchased some red ribbon and plan to make it into a a little top for this summer, then turn it back into a skirt for next summer. I just hope the weather around here warms up soon!

Btw, I'm sharing this blog post over at Simple Design as part of their "Share you thrift haul" series. It's a fun way to share and see other people's thrifted finds!

Project Simplify 2012: Little Girl's Closet (week 3)

This week's target areas for Project Simplify 2012 were closets, countertops and drawers (oh my). I decided to focus on the remainder of Little Miss' closet and possibly some kitchen cabinets if time allowed.

1. Little girl's closet - I wanted to tackle all the shelving in Little Miss' closet. They've become a total dumping ground for baby stuff both old and new (oh hello breast pump...that's where you've been!). So I literally pulled everything out and started from there.

From the bottom shelf to top:
- Extra toiletries: I gathered all the daily baby supplies onto the bottom shelf. I call this the "baby pantry" where I stock up on nappies/diapers, body wash, etc. when they go on offer in the stores.
- Books/storage:  Parenting/baby books, books for when little one can actually read, unopened gifts, misc.
- Linens/Gifting: I found an extra IKEA storage box (b&w floral, 2nd shelf) and used it to hold extra linens, crib bumper, extra diaper bags, pram hood, etc. I also like to re-use any gift bags for future gift giving, so I went through my stash and only kept the ones that were in good condition.
- Other stuff: things not used every day like nursing pillows, humidifier, etc.

                                  (Before)                                                                           (After)

- Clothing: I managed to go through all of her clothes over the weekend but forgot to take before photos. I spent an afternoon pulling out all the clothes that no longer fit. Some went to charity but the rest are sitting in these huge storage bags and await a new home (somewhere!). The rest were organized by size and type of clothing.

Extra clothes for storage.

 This drawer holds all current clothes.

This drawer holds clothes for next year (L) and the upcoming summer (R).

Until next week...happy organizing :)


                               

My Mommy Wardrobe

When I came across this page in the April 2012 issue of Red magazine, the conversation in my head went something like this:

- "Hey! that's what I wear nearly every day (i.e "The Outfit")."
- "I'm so glad to see that I can spruce up and accessorize my usual every day outfit."
- "Wait, is this a cool fashion tip or kinda sad?"
- (sigh)

Gone are the days of power suits and high healed shoes from my former corporate life. I've traded that wardrobe in for a selection of stripe shirts (more than I care to admit), skinny jeans and comfy flats.

Oh well, you can't chase after a little one through muddy puddles wearing 4" heels and I suppose I'd rather be running through muddy puddles more than anything else right now :)

Uniqlo for Kids (aka UU)

Wow! More cool kids fashion is coming this Spring.  Move over DVF & GapKids!

Uniqlo, one of my favorite utility brands, is launching a new family clothing line along with their first kids and baby line. "uniqlo undercover" launches on March 16th, 2012 and will be available online as well as in stores.

I am just loving all the cute girls dresses, tops and leggings. They are feminine, edgy and affordable too!

(all images via uniqlo)

New! Little Liberty & DVF for GapKids

I am so in trouble! 

Not one, but two of my favorite fashion sources are launching new clothes for kids.

Liberty of London (one of my favorite English department stores) is launching Little Liberty, their brand new children's department, on Feb 23 at their Regent Street store. According to their site, it's 2000 sq feet of clothing, toys, accessories and books for little ones. I must clear my diary now.

Here are some of my Little Liberty favorites:

Petite Bateau Striped Sailor Dress 

Barbour Rose Liberty Print jacket

Limited edition Liberty Bugaboo Chamleon. Win it here.

On March 15th, Diane Von Furstenberg is launching a collection for GapKids. I'm a huge fan of DVF's classic wrap dresses (can you say buh bye to mummy tummy?) so why not a mini version for Little Miss?

Here are some of my DVF favorites:

image via scoopcharlotte

images via downtownmagazinenyc

Oh, thank goodness for little girls and their little girl designers :)