To everything a season: The dress up addition, Part 2

Yesterday I told you about a costume for G that I bought. I was a little disappointed because I had wanted to sew something for her but the apron and chef's hat were just too cute and too good a price to pass up.

Well, today is the season for sewing and I think I more than made up for it with a new creation a la Carrie. First, a little info:

Are you familiar with Ikat Bag? This woman is amazing! If you think you do crafty and fun things with your kid, DON'T visit her site. She will make you feel like everything you do is sub par. Just kidding. Go over, check it out, get inspired!!! Two warnings: 1) You will feel a teensy bit inadequate. At least I do. 2) She has a love affair with cardboard.

Last week I saw this post featuring one of the cutest costume idea EVER. For some reason (hormones? lack of sleep? too many diet pepsi's?) I decided that G had to have one. So I went to JoAnn's (where the glorious apron was discovered) and got my supplies.

At first glance, it looks like a semi-regular wrap skirt...

front

back

Are you noticing all the layers? Hmmm. Here are some shots of Miss G modeling her new duds for you.

And her sister wondering what all the fuss is about...

That's when my girl spreads her wings and...

fly little one!

butterfly? fairy? butterfairy superhero?

front, wings spread

back, wings spread

I have to say, I feel like I earned an honorary doctorate in engineering figuring this out. The "instructions" at Ikat Bag are just a general guide, there isn't much detail. But we love it and it was well worth the effort. My sewing is poor to quite poor, the seams are crooked, I melted the fabric in a couple places with my iron, and my child apparently doesn't have quite the "wingspan" I thought she did (measure twice, right Dad?) but I am proud of it just the same. This was my first time making "clothes" and I might be addicted. Holy moly. Halloween will never be the same...

To everything a season: the dress up addition, Part 1

My 3 year old is just starting to get interested in playing dress up. Its exciting to see her put on her "mom" shoes and grab her purse frantically looking for her cell phone only to discover its been in her bag the whole time (um, do you think she's seen this happen a few times in real life?). And there are a couple of play outfits that every little girl should have.

The first is an apron to go with her kitchen. G loves pretending to be a chef and I vowed to make an apron for her last fall. And I did. But it was kind of a flop. Queue the "whop, whop" music. I used a tea towel and made more of a waiter style half apron. And, because it was a surprise, I just guessed at the sizing so it ended up too big and difficult for her to wear. But I still had plans to make her an apron. Until I saw this...

At 60% off from JoAnns Fabrics, it couldn't be beat. Less than $10 for the hat and apron and it looks so cute with her little red kitchen!

So, this was the season for buying something. Then, there are times when only homemade will do. Come back tomorrow to see what I mean...

7 months!!!

Can't believe little E is already well over the halfway mark to a year. I love her SOOOOO much (teeth clenched, wanna take a little bite of her, "SOOOOO")!!!

Here she is, chillin' with her sign. She's a little slumpy still but we're working on that whole sitting up thing. Its over-rated anyway, right? Kinda like Pittsburgh in the tourney. Phew, what a game (yes, March Madness is alive and well at my casa)!

And here's her big sis getting in on the picture action. This is her first toothy smile on cue. I love it! G also did her first drawing of people (that actually sort of resemble people) right after this shot was taken. Since its chalk I can't save it so I snapped a pic and will immortalize it here in the blogosphere.

The pic is of (from L to R) "me as a baby in a swaddle, my daddy, and E grown up into a big girl with ponies (pony tails)." I think the monthly pics make her a little jealous of the baby which is why I always let her crawl in the crib for a shot of them both (thank goodness she only weighs 28 pounds).

Three glorious years!

G celebrated her 3rd birthday on the 26th. We had it planned for Christmas Day (her actual birthday) but by 5 p.m. that night she was too pooped for it. I believe the exchange went something like this:

Me: G? Are you ready for your birthday party?

G: Do we have to?

Me: We'll have cake and open presents!

G: Didn't we already do that???

So, the dreaded Christmas birthday is already a source of frustration and sheer bummer-ness. But, we'll figure it out and make it work. We had an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins (which I loved and thought I would hate... just what I need, another junk food favorite). And, she got all the goodies necessary to start dance class on January 5th: leotard, tutu, tights, and tap and ballet shoes. As you can see, she tried it all on right away! Plus, a book about a first dance class which we've already read 15+ times!

image from Waterstones.com