Chanukah in the Chouse: Night 1

Last night was the first night of Chanukah and we started The Festival of Lights off deliciously. I decided that, this year, we will do something for each night of Chanukah. Earlier in the week, Miss Belle helped me get it all set up.

It's time for... Chanukah in the Chouse (almost)

Chanukah starts at sundown tonight and we are in major prep mode. Even though we celebrate a very low key, tree-and-Santa-only Christmas, it feels like Chanukah is always an afterthought for the kids. Because it is the actual religiously relevant holiday in our household, I decided to ramp things up a bit with eight days of fun. Come back to see how we are celebrating our 8 Crazy Nights of the Festival of Lights.

Magic Bravery Beans

Our household has been a dangerous place for headbands lately. Headbands are breaking left and right. You could almost call it an epidemic. I thought that the problem was Miss Bloom playing too rough at recess or sharing her hair stuff with her friends. Then a few of our Daisy friends let it slip at an event over the weekend that Miss Bloom has been breaking her headbands on purpose at school. What?!?

Happy Halloween!

My poor blog has been a bit neglected lately. I have been so busy with the kids, their school, Girl Scouts... and making Halloween costumes! I spent more time than I had planned on creating just the right looks for my little ones. But it was so worth it. I think they look great and they are super happy with the results.

Two-Step Stencil: French Kat

This past weekend the girls and I attended the birthday party of one of the sweetest kids we know at Miss Bloom's school. Miss Bloom and Kat go to a French-speaking school, so I wanted to create something with a French theme. I combined that with the birthday girl's name and had my inspiration. A French Kat freezer paper stenciled tee.

Aarrrgghh!!!! Talk like a Pirate Day!

Blimey! It's Talk like a Pirate Day! To celebrate, I'm listing the Pirate DressUp Set in the Bloom & Belle shop.

 The complete set includes:

A hat

Eyepatch

Hook

And beard in your choice of color:

Black, blonde, dark brown, gray, light brown, or orange.

Grab the ultimate buccaneer dress up kit for your little land lubber today!

Fashion Refashion: Saving the Beloved Frog PJs (Part 3)

Welcome to the third and final installment of Fashion Refashion: Saving the Beloved Frog PJs. On Saturday I demonstrated how I made Miss Belle's new friend, Snowball the Bunny. Yesterday I showed how I made Miss Belle's boatneck tee and jumper. Today I'm going to wrap things up with a dress and apron for Snowball.

Fashion Refashion: Saving the Beloved Frog PJs (Part 2)

Look at that goofy face! Man, I adore this girl. Yesterday I told you all about Miss Belle's stronghold on her pjs that she outgrew long ago. And I showed how I made a bunny friend, Snowball, for Miss Belle to coordinate with in her new, revamped, frog clothes. Today I'm going to go over the steps I took to make Miss Belle's frog outfit.

Fashion Refashion: Saving the Beloved Frog PJs (Part 1)

My sewing machine has been a tad neglected lately. I want to spend more time with her but the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity with the beginning of school, Girl Scouts, playdates, a trip out of town, the High Holidays... You name it, we've been doing it.

Finally, this week I made time to work on a project that's been sitting on my to-do pile for far too long. Miss Belle had two pairs of frog pajamas that she adored. The problem? Both pairs of pjs are a size 2 and Miss Belle does not wear a 2T any more. She tried- desperately- to hold onto these pajamas. Finally I had to give her a countdown. "You can wear them three more times and then I'm taking them away." She pulled out all the stops to find a way to keep them.

Mom-a-Logues/Bloom & Belle Giveaway!

  

Do you like free stuff? I know I do. Dawn from Mom-a-logues was kind enough to feature a Bloom & Belle review of a few of my favorite items from the B& B shop.

She showed off a pair of button bottlecap earrings...

And one of my new checkerboard skirts...

Now you have the opportunity to win a personalized Bloom & Belle superhero cape! Head over to her blog and facebook page for more info about how you can win. Free stuff! Yay!

Fashion Refashion: Busted Zipper to Lace-Up Dress

My lovely next door neighbor Kait came to me recently with a common, yet frustrating, problem. The zipper on one of her favorite summer dresses was broken and needed fixing. She gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted to her dress- just make it wearable again! So for the next installment of Fashion Refashion I am going to show how I took Kait's busted zipper dress and turned it into a cute lace-up dress.

The Tooth Fairy Pillow

The last time I took the girls to the dentist we were told that Miss Bloom probably still needed to wait a while before any of her teeth came out. But then, one little tooth on the bottom started to get pretty wiggly. And the more Miss Bloom played with it the wigglier it got. I realized that I needed to get with the program and make her a tooth fairy pillow before it's too late. So yesterday afternoon, during Little Boy Blue's naptime, I pulled out my box of felt and got to work.

Clothespin Notes

Today is Miss Bloom's 1st day of 1st grade. Can you feel the excitement?

She asked me if I would leave her a special note in her lunch today. Of course, I said yes. Last year I made her a clothespin note one day and it was a huge hit. So I thought this would be a good time to do it again.

The Girl Scout Leader Tote Bag

The first day of school is just days away. Four days away, to be exact. And that means that Girl Scout meetings and all that involves are also just around the corner. Last year I found myself constantly switching between bags that never fully met my needs for our troop meetings and events. I also have several pins and patches that I wanted to display somewhere but, because I'm not sporting a Daisy vest like the girls, I had nowhere to put them. To solve both problems, I decided to make myself a new tote bag devoted specifically to Girl Scouts. This bag was a fun challenge because it involved several techniques that are somewhat new to me: a lined bag with a zipper closure, boxed bottom for that bag, and freezer paper stenciling. Now I'm going to show you how I did it all so that you can make your own super fun tote bag to meet your specific needs.

❤❤❤

Painted Plants

 

Do you vignette? I love having little visual focal points scattered throughout our home.

Earring Display- A super easy tutorial

Way back at the end of March, Miss Bloom and I had a Mommy and Me day full of fun activities for two. One of the things we did was get her ears pierced. Although the piercers said that she could change her earrings after 6 weeks, we have been so busy with oodles of family events during the last few months that I decided to wait until Miss Bloom's early-July birthday to change out her studs. The evening before her birthday I had the chance to slip out by myself and stock up on some new cute earrings for my big girl. That night I did a little late night crafting and made a hanging earring display for all of her new bling. It turned out so cute (and was so easy) that I want to show you how you can make one of your own.

Fashion Refashion: Fun Patches

Unless your home is in a utopian, alternate universe, you probably have the same problem as me: kids outgrow their clothes, zippers are broken, pant knees get holes, etc. These things happen. A lot. So I try to find ways to save our clothing items or remake them into something new. With that in mind, I'm starting a new series called Fashion Refashion. Fashion Refashion is all about reinventing the old into a new, and just as fabulous, piece. Stay tuned for more posts with ideas about how to refashion your fashion.

The Princess Dress

Miss Bloom turned 6 this week and that means two things:
1. It's the end of birthday season!
2. She needs a birthday dress.

My big girl decided that she wanted to have a pretty, pretty princess party and she designed a dress to match.

The As American as Apple Pie Dress

 I hope you had a fabulous Independence Day and are enjoying the long weekend! On Thursday, I showed the outfits I made for my kids for the 4th of July and promised a tutorial for Miss Bloom's Apple Pie Dress. I know I'm a few days behind... But now, here it is!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from our little family! This year I decided to get festive and make All-American outfits for my kiddos for the 4th of July. Miss Bloom is a very easy-going kid so I knew that I could make anything I wanted for her and it would be a-okay. Miss Belle is a different story. She is a girl who knows what she wants and hasn't quite mastered the art of compromise. And what does she usually want? Pink dresses or skirts that twirl. I knew that it would be a challenge to get her out of her comfort zone. But challenges are okay. And last, but certainly not least, what about Little Boy Blue? I really wanted to get out of my current go-to for boys: bow ties.

Cross Stitch Tagalong Sewing Kit: A Tutorial for the Girl Scout in all of us

The Girl Scout motto is "Be Prepared." Of course that means different things to different people. As a sewist, to me that means having a mini-set of tools on hand for any emergency. You never know when you will be called upon to sew the top of your friend's dress closed before a wedding or fix one of your daughter's dance-friend's costumes. At any moment, a button could pop off and need to be reattached.

A few weeks ago, when I was making Daisy hair clips and personalized envelopes for my Daisy Scouts, I knew that I also wanted to make an end of the year gift for my awesome co-leader. A busy mom and doctor who is frequently on the go, she also appreciates the allure of the sewing machine and homesewn crafts. So I thought that a personalized, mini-sewing kit would be perfect for her. And now I'm going to show you how to make one of these cute and handy little gifts for yourself or someone you appreciate.

The Candyland Dress

Last week was Miss Belle's 4th birthday. This girl loves board games and candy, so I was not surprised when she declared that she wanted to have a Candyland Party for her birthday. And that meant that she needed a Candyland dress.

Pirates' Paradise

 Yesterday was my nephew's 5th birthday. And I felt a bit lost trying to figure out what to make for him. Twirly skirts and hair clips are my go-to gift for girls around this age. I like to make ties for baby boys. And, of course, there are superhero capes. But we've already gone that route. What to make? What to make? And could I do it with supplies I already own? In a moment of inspiration, I decided to give him a pirate dress up set. All kids like to play pretend and dress up!

Daisy Gifts: A Two-for-One Tutorial

This afternoon my Daisy Girl Scout troop has the last meeting of our first year as a troop. I'm feeling a little sentimental. It has been such a delight hanging with these 10 kindergartners (soon to be first graders!) all year. To mark this momentous occasion, I decided to make a little end of the year gift for each of my Daisies. Daisy button hair clips and fabric envelopes. Personalized, of course. And now I'm going to show you how to make these pocket-size gifts for the little blossoms in your life.

The Checkerboard Skirt

I am so excited to share these new skirts with you. I've been mulling over this idea for awhile. I tried to make them a few weeks ago and the dimensions were off. But now I think we've got a winner!

A Carnival of fun... Little Boy Blue is 1!!!

Have you heard of the phenomenon where some families have all of their children at the same time of the year? I didn't think much about it until it happened to us. Miss Belle was born three weeks before Miss Bloom's second birthday and Little Boy Blue was born three weeks before Miss Belle's third birthday. Poor planning on my part. Between May and July we have all three kids' birthdays, Mothers Day and Fathers Day and our wedding anniversary is the day before Miss Belle's birthday (10 years! Wow!). So it's a busy time of year. This year we kicked off birthday season a few days early so that my grandparents could help us celebrate Little Boy Blue's 1st birthday. A carnival party for my sweet little guy.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful (inside and out) mother.

My favorite type of gift to give is something handmade. I don't always have time, but if I can swing it, I much prefer to make something personal. Especially for my mom for Mother's Day. But the question was, what should I make this time? I'm running out of ideas. Seriously.

It's National Superhero Day!

 

Happy National Superhero Day from my little superstars! For a limited time, all Superhero capes are 15% off in the Bloom & Belle shop. Just use coupon code SUPER at checkout. This offer expires on Saturday, May 4th.

Have a Bam! Wow! Super fantabulous day!!

Dragon!!! Recycled Art with Miss Belle

 A few days ago Miss Belle and I were in the midst of the golden hours of the day: We had come home from a playdate, finished lunch, Little Boy Blue was taking a nap, and we still had a couple of hours until we needed to go pick up Miss Bloom from school. And the weather outside was gorgeous! Miss Belle decided that she would like to do an art project and paint. I was game for that. The result was fun and totally reflected my wild girl's personality: tough animal in pretty, feminine colors.

Family Reading Night (And a tiny tutorial)

"You're taking another picture?"

One of my mom friends decided to bring an English/French Book Fair to our daughters' school. Which is nice, since Miss Bloom goes to a French Immersion elementary school. At the same time, we had an evening celebrating reading as a family. Teachers read in both English and French. We had songs, crafts, and picnics in our pajamas.


I volunteered to help coordinate the kindergarten portion of the evening. It took a lot of time but was totally worth the effort. Everyone really enjoyed themselves!

The Honeycomb Dress ...and the art of improvisation

Before I begin a project, I do a lot of mental planning. Visualizing my materials, which techniques to use, when I will find time to actually make it happen. Sometimes those plans work out and sometimes I have to make small changes along the way. This dress required a lot of editing. It was a very busy week so I wasn't always able to work when I wanted to. The baby was a little fussier than usual. And every few steps I decided that I needed to adapt my original game plan. It took all week, but I finally managed to finish this fun little dress for Miss Belle. She usually wants everything in light pink. (Her left foot is even light pink at the moment because the girls decided it would be a good idea for Miss Bloom to spray paint it. We've been referring to her as Pink Foot.) So when she saw this bumblebee fabric and decided that she must have a dress made from it I was happy to oblige. We chose a pretty grey floral print for accents and a checkerboard skirt.

Tutorial and more pictures of my sweet Miss Belle after the jump!

A super cape for Little Boy Blue

 Yesterday afternoon I had an hour left until I needed to leave to pick up Miss Bloom from school. I could wash the dishes or.... do a little sewing. Sewing won out. And the project? A new superhero cape for Little Boy Blue. We like our superhero capes and so it was only fitting that our littlest little one get a cape of his own. I think it looks adorable. And now I'm offering them to you! New mini-superhero capes now available in the Bloom & Belle shop.

Let the Sunshine in Dress- A Tutorial

I like snow and hot cocoa and sledding and snuggling up on bearskin rugs in front of a roaring fire with a hot toddy as much as the next person, don't get me wrong. (Actually, I'm not a huge fan of hot toddies or bearskin rugs... but you get the point.) Sometimes, however, there can be too much of a good thing. And this winter was way too much goodness. I was beginning to think that winter would never end!

Then the sun returned this week and it finally felt like spring! To celebrate the much-anticipated arrival of springtime I wanted to make a very sunny dress for my sunshine girl-- The Let the Sunshine In Dress.

This is a fairly straightforward dress with a zipper up the back and side pockets. I lined it because of the light colored fabric. But that is a personal choice. Would you like to know how to make one of your own? Follow this simple tutorial after the jump.

A rainbow bedroom for Miss Bloom & Miss Belle

I dream about colors. A house full of warm, rich, vibrant colors. A candy apple green kitchen, buttery yellow and rust orange dining room, soothing blue bedroom. My reality, however, is cream walls. Everywhere. So I have to find creative solutions to add the colors I crave to my home. 

My girls also love color so I knew that I wanted them to have a rainbow-themed room with soft, feminine (but not sugary sweet) blue highlights. 

Their dresser has been floating around our household for almost a decade. I think I originally bought it off a friend for about $40. And it was seriously ready for a makeover. I decided to paint it ombré style by choosing a paint swatch and using the lightest shade for the main part of the dresser and painting each drawer a subsequently darker shade. Home Depot sells sample sizes for a few dollars and one of each was plenty for this project. Framed prints are from the awesome shop Flapper Doodle. Miss Bloom made the other artwork for her octopus-loving sister.