So... as many of us do now a days, a couple of weeks ago I got caught up on Pinterest.  It's a great website isn't it?  I mean, as if I already didn't feel like I got enough done or completed all of the craft projects I have already started... well, this will just make that feeling a million times worse!  Or... better.  Since you can actually conveniently save those things you run across in one space so you always know where they are.  

Well, this is one of those such cases where I found something and put it away for a more necessary time.  Like HALLOWEEN!!!  I just happened to mention to Ella that if she wanted she could be an Owl for Halloween.  I was hoping that she would agree because it seemed to be a relatively inexpensive and cute costume idea.  And... SHE SAID YES!!!

So I got to break out one of my pins and get to work!  You can find the tutorial here.  So, in the tutorial they used a pink hoodie, I looked and looked and looked... I couldn't find any that I liked.  Because I wanted pants to match, but not the generic sweat pants.  Also, I wanted something a little more girly, but I didn't know exactly what it was... and then I found...
A Betty White (love her) velour tracksuit in a light lilac color at Walmart.  Nothing fancy.  The jacket has little metallic gold polka dots on it which I'm not a big fan of, but I figure that's nothing I can't fix with some silver sparkly puffy paint.  But then in the Garanimals line I found a lilac long sleeved shirt that matches the jacket well enough and lilac leggings with a darker purple skirt attached.  BINGO... that's the girly part I was looking for.  I have cut the pieces for the jacket or shirt and laid them all out and took pictures, but then I do believe that I have decided to make the hoodie as in the tutorial and then use the leggings and skirt as the bottom.  Hopefully it will all come out okay and I will have lots of cute pics to post :)

Everyday I am trying to figure out how to let my daughter help me with my work, so that she doesn't think of it as "Mommy's working so she doesn't have time to do stuff with me"... because let's face it, the reason I want to work from home is so that I can spend more time with her!  What good is more time with her if she thinks I am too busy doing other things than to do things with her?  

So, one of the things that she has gotten to start helping me with is dyeing onesies.  I know I know, to some that may just sound like a disaster waiting to happen... but it's not really.  She just gently gets to place the article of clothing or whatever it is that I am dyeing into the dye bath.  It's a very small thing to me, but to her it means the world!   And so far... knock on wood... we haven't done any major damage when it comes to dyeing her clothes accidentally!

Have you ever tried to dye anything?  Personally, I love the idea because what if you bought that super cute white t-shirt and then spill coffee on it?  It might not be white anymore, but you can easily dye it a darker color so that it doesn't go into the donate pile or the trash can.  And, this is especially helpful with babies and their white onesies.  Especially with how much they spit up and dribble on themselves.  Instead of retiring the soiled and stained garment, just dye it.  Then get a little creative and sew on it... you have a completely new outfit for your little one to wear.  And this doesn't stop with babies.  It works well with toddlers and actually, who are we kidding... it works with every single person ever... because we can all be messy with the wrong things at times!

So, what dyes work the best?  If you have dyed any number of garments, you will definitely start to pick out your favorites and figure out what works best for you.  I honestly prefer Dylon powder dyes.  I think that they ahve the best penetration and I prefer the colors that they offer.  However, one of my favorite colors for little girls is Powder Pink, and it is almost impossible to find in the States.  Seems to be widely available in the UK... but not here.  I can't even put a link up to where I get it from, because it seems like every time I need to replenish my stock I have to search and search and always end up getting it from a different website.  Try finding it in stores good luck!  I found a Petal Pink liquid dye from Rit that produces a color that would do for me in most circumstances, however for some reason when I mix the liquid dye with the water, all of my garments come out with little blue pin dots... that can be kind of annoying.  So, I tend to buy the Dylon Powder Pink when I can find it in lots of 6 or more.

Dyeing is a relatively inexpensive way to add another deminsion to your crafted goods.  On average a packet of dye costs $2.99, I believe that the package says that it will dye 1 lb of cloth.  I don't usually dye that much at once.  So in hot water, I dissolve the salt  and however much dye I think I need... it's not an exact science, and when you are mixing it, you can see the intensity of the color in the spoon.  I also store all of my open dye packets in little ziplock baggies.  There is no need to use all of that dye and let it go to waste!

Although I do prefer Dylon dyes, I do have some colors that I like in the Rit liquid, but like I said, once you start experimenting with the colors that you want and what you like, you will figure out which ones work for you and give you the desired results.

What craft projects do you let your little ones help you with?

So, this is the look that I get about every day from my darling daughter Ella.  It's amazing how one day she wants to be sooo helpful and the next... I tell her to model some clothes for me, and this is the look I get!  Maybe she's on to something.  Maybe she knows when I am wasting my time before I do!  Oh... if only she did know...

But since she doesn't, and I don't, I am starting a new venture.  When I first started making boutique baby clothes, it was honestly because I wanted my daughter to have those things, but I couldn't afford it!  And, I still go out to boutiques and wonder WHO CAN??  But from all of my trial and error, and market research (only based on what sells and what doesn't) I have decided to continue doing the things that I love doing, but also try to branch out and head another direction.  

This is an idea that I have been toying around with for quite sometime, but only in the last couple months have I become serious about it.  I have decided to branch out into the world of tuxedo onesies.  

I know, I know... you are thinking, but really, how exciting can black and white be?  Well, I do believe that it can be very exciting, but I also believe that there is alot more to tuxedos than black and white... I mean, ask all of the people that got married in the 70's!  And, as we all know... fashion history ALWAYS repeats itself!  And when I first listed the tuxedo onesie a couple of years ago on Etsy, the only competition that I had was in the form of the appliqued ties, and the screen printed ones.  Neither of which really tickled my fancy.  But oh how times are a changin'!

I have toyed with the ideas of doing vests, or even those appliqued ties on onesies that YES, I have made fun of in the past, but since I sell on Etsy and I look around to see that those areas are pretty well covered.  There are lots of sellers out there that have amazing shops.  Check out Sara Sweet and Small and that is only one example.  Some things are a little similar, but when it comes down to details, we are offering different products for the same occasions.

So, I have a shop name... and it's unoriginal.  It's even kind of boring, but it tells ya what it is... and I will tell you what it is after my Etsy GRAND OPENING!!  I am currently taking all of the chances that I get to list the 100+ items I plan on carrying, and in the meantime keeping up with this blog!  And, this website... and... um... well, there is lots to keep up with.  And if you know me personally, you should know how scatter brained I can be at times!

So, there ya go, that's what I got.  That is what I have been working on lately.  Hopefully I will be able to continue to keep going full steam ahead!