What’s this new seat?

So, I’m going to get some food?

Let me help.

I trust you.

I think I like.

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I’d like to introduce a new section to the blog called Kiddie Kouture, because man, there is some great stuff out there for kids that goes way beyond BabyGap. (Not that I’m knocking BabyGap! They are the staples many Moms today rely on.) And hey, I got a kid! And I dress her in vintage duds all the time! And there are some great ways to break out of the ordinary with vintage kiddie clothing and amazing sellers on Etsy that I find and would love to share with ya’ll.

But first, let me give a little vintage knitting shout out to Pilgrim who found this amazing book with the hippest knit and crocheted dresses for your above-average mod tween.

Check it out:

If I walked down the street with a large yellow fake fur teddy bear dodging the odd seashell, I’d wear a spunky sailor inspired crocheted outfit too!

Thanks Pilgrim for the great Friday inspiration!

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Georgia + Mascara + a second not watching Georgia = the youngest impersonation of Groucho Marx.

She just needs a baby cigar.

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Dear Kombucha Tea,

You taste like death.  With subtle undertones of the plague.

Why am I drinking you again?

Sincerely,

- Leslie

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Unfortunately my busy schedule doesn’t allow for much knitting right now.

But thanks to Miss Shona, the beloved Spitfire from my dear girly group, The Devil-Ettes, knit her little heart out to produce the most divine poppy hat for the Peach.

Dare I say, my beautiful little girl doesn’t do justice to the adorableness of this hat, I must admit. But don’t worry, the Peach is nicely rocking her vintage little dress.  Everyone I know seems to remember wearing a similar dress when they were a little girl.  Smocking and little baby girls have always been BFFs in my book and I’m delighted to pass that along to the Peach.

Unfortunately it was a little too chilly to not wear something on her legs. That’s where baby leggings come in real handy!  Baby leggings are great for diaper changes too.  These are from one of my fave Etsy sellers, KnottyBabyWear.

I love my sweet non-smiling baby. She has a more sarcastic wit and doesn’t lower herself to pratfall humor.    Trust me, beneath that stolid exterior runs a total bon vivant of a baby, who I think appreciates a more refined humor than most! At least that what I’m telling myself.

Oh, my widdle Peach, I adore you so!

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Decision Made.

I LOVE MAH CLOGS!!!

Hanna Andersen rocks my clogging world. They are even cuter in real life if that is even humanly possible.

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I have been most remiss in our nursery updates which keep plugging along.

One recent addition is this marvelous mobile. The story behind it is sort of as a twisted ebay version of O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi.  Basically, Eric and I kept driving the price up as each of us bid unbeknownst to the other to a shockingly shamefully high price.

I guess that really has nothing to do with the Gift of Magi, but  speaking of the Gift of the Magi, does anyone remember the late 1970s television movie starring a young Marie Osmond based on the story called “The Gift of Love”?

I was OBSESSED with it!

Anyway, back to the mobile.  Who doesn’t love little painted figures from nursery rhymes?  And it has a very sweet albeit tinny tune that is played rather lopsidedly from the top that I think adds to its charm.

And we do love it so.  We’ve been Irmi fans for awhile–in fact that lovely lamp I bought for the baby’s room when I was pregnant is Irmi.

I think the Peach digs it. Don’t you?

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The mind wonders into the most bizarre nooks and crannies, sometimes. Such as last night at around 4:00AM, when I was nursing the Peach, and my husband was gently snoring next to me, all of a sudden I became obsessed with owning a Bermuda bag like the ones I remember lusting after when I was in sixth grade that every very cool preppy girl in my class trotted around.

I think this is part of that seventies prep jonesing I’ve been going through. But really, who would blame me when I can find items as ADORABLE AS THIS:

I know, right?

Thanks HappyMae, over at Etsy.  But there is a tragedy. Although I stupidly marked it as a favorite, someone else must have been wanting some seventies prep love for themselves, because when I came back the next day it was already purchased. OH THE PATHOS!

But first I must get the actual Bermuda bag before I start collecting the covers… Yes, yes, I know I’m thoroughly naughty for putting the proverbial cart before the horse, but things on Etsy rarely hang around that long.

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There are so many great things about living in Alameda. As if Ole’s Waffle House and the Alameda Flea Market weren’t enough, my new little keep allows me to walk the baby to the huge huge huge embroidery store, A Stitch In Time.  Yes, I know you are jealous…. It’s OK. I feel the same way about people that live walking distance to Purl Soho in NYC.

Fortunately, Mary Elizabeth, the most wonderful embroidery goddess, very graciously pointed me in the right direction to help start this bit of bargello badassness:

It’s coming along slowly since I can only work on it after the baby goes to bed, but I think it will be the perfect bit of pizazz in my living room.

Here is what I have so far:

I decided to make not a square but a nice low rectangle pillow.  I am using the Catherdral stitch, which isn’t too fancy, but I adore the snappy pattern.  And I am using cotton not wool for added yumminess.

Here is a close up of the stitching:

I think it matches our Denyse Schmidt quilt quite nicely. I know, it should be on the bed, but I love it so much I have it covering our living room sofa.

I must admit , the bargello stitch is much faster than normal needlepoint and needlepoint is in general much easier on the old hands than knitting. Ahhh!!! But of course with a baby, everything is going to take a bit longer, but here’s hoping that I finish them this year!

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The Renegade Craft Fair did something to me. It reminded me how much I absolutely adore all things crafty. And how crafts can be taken in so many wonderful, exciting, delicious ways.  And how good I feel when I do it–anything that could be considered a craft.  It is not even about making the most perfect item, it’s just the process of doing it that fills something in me–scratches that itch to create.

But sometimes I get overwhelmed by my crafty inspirations.

All of the dresses and skirts to be made, the sweaters and socks to knit, darling embroidery ideas that are popping into my head, and all of the things for the baby.  It can weigh me down instead of lift me up. And that’s not good. I need to recapture a bit of the passion I have for all of my crafts into actually doing them.

And it’s tough.  I have so many titles that must be tended.  Mother. Wife. Friend. Working Woman.  These I am finding can split me up, divide me, cut me down to the point where at the end of the day I droop into bed shredded, torn, exhausted.

Then, it occured to me that I need to sew myself together. I need to find the thread to weave through all of these titles, these roles. And that is craft.  I can be a crafty mother, a crafty wife, a crafty friend and a crafty working woman.

So bear with me, gentle reader, as I try to get my craft groove back on.  It’s going to be tough what with only slivers of time to myself. But if I’m going to figure out this work/life balance, craft must be part of the equation. And I want to share it with you.  And it’s not only about what crafts I make. It’s about all of the wonderful craft inspirations out there that make me so very very happy and I hope they’ll make you happy too!

Whether it’s just reviewing a book about a craft, finding other amazing crafters online, revel in an awesome craft tutorial, or –how crazy is this–actually MAKING something, it will help me be me.

So expect a reinvigorated Good Crafternoon! Perhaps with a fancy new updo in the upcoming months.

To start things off, I will show you a vintage bit of crafty goodness modeled with great flair by the Peach.

I bought this handmade vintage little chicken pinafore off of eBay for $3.00.  When I was pregnant, I hung it on a little hanger in my room and would think about the squirmy little body that would one day fill it. And here it is in all of its crafty wonderfulness living my dream in glorious technicolor wonder.  $3.00 never made me so happy!

I love vintage crafts. It’s like all of the love that went into creating it continues to live on beyond its first owner. And I’m always happy to feel the love!

Good crafternoon to all and to all a good night!

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