Lovely Dolly

In a week or so my little girl will be 1. And so planning for a teddy bear's tea party for 3 has started in earnest. We keep saying ' we won't go mad', 'we will just get a few things', 'she'll be more interested in the wrapping paper and the boxes' but still we seem to be buying more and more stuff. A ladybird wheelie bug has led to ladybird cupcakes and spotty balloons and on morphing into a woodland, red riding hood random indoor picnic.... The real star of the show however, I hope, will be this beautiful handmade dolly. I may not be a fan of pink and as a child I thought Barbie had an eye look in her eye..(I still do) but I couldn't resist this soft dolly. 

Handmade by Lovely Pop in Guernsey, the lovely Hannah will make you a dolly, a dragon, a pirate or even a bunny. You can buy online or commission your very own creation using your own bits of material. This was the perfect solution for a little dress I simply couldn't part with. The first dress I'd brought my daughter from little shrimp was doing nothing other than gathering dust in a box under my bed. Now its been brought life and transformed into a beautiful lovelypop dolly. 

No one else will have one like this. Its a very special gift for my girl's 1st big day. And she'll look great being towed around the house in the back of the wooden toy tractor! 

A Friend. An Owl Cupcake. And a Drawstring Quilt.

If, like me your creative side isn't as artistic as it could be, it pays to have friends who are. Take the Owl Cakes I wanted to make for my little girl's Naming Day do. I found a recipe but all too aware of my limitations I asked a school friend of mine if she would 'help' me. A good friend, she immediately sees through my code and realises it'll be her as chief baker and me in the role of bottle wash/sous chef. So, from my point of view it's straight forward. We make cupcakes, ice them and then tahdah! Hmm, not so. Days later the emails start and it seems as usual I have under estimated the task and perhaps over hyped my friends skills. What shall we use for the eyes?, can I get mint matchsticks for the branches? can you even buy them outside of the 12 days of Christmas, what kind of wafers for the wings, and on and on. Needless after reigning me in and lots of hard work, baking with a 2 yr old and a 9 month old (not to be recommended) the result are amazing. 

So, continuing in this vein and with a eye on my little girl's first birthday I started a hunt for something a bit different for her big day, something we could keep and something personal to us. I'm a big fan of Tickle & Hide but given that they are literally on the other side of the world and their beautiful creations are a bit pricey once delivery is added I haven't yet brought anything. Instead simply pressed my nose up against the Etsy online shop window. Its not just the funky reversible dresses which have caught my eye but the stunning Drawstring quilts. If you want to buy one ready made they are just over £100. Gulp! But, you can download a pdf of the pattern for just £7. Then theoretically you can knock one together at home with bits and bobs of material you have lying around. Or, like me, you find a capable friend and commission her at less than half the price to make one for you. Mine, on a woodland theme (we are trying to escape the omnipresent owls) has just been finished. And I love it. Its beautifully made and perfect for scooping up all the toys and heading out the door. Now all I need to do is persuade 'little un' to sit still and play on it. Big kisses and thanks to Vicky Crosby for all her hard work, I know it was much more complicated than I thought (quelle surprise) including the teasing through of the handles with forceps! (Don't panic she's a midwife). 

Blossom Bibs for Bubba

My, or rather the bibs I ordered, have arrived! And yes, one of them is a bit pink but ssshhh! no one will notice. 

We all know how it works someone posts on facebook a page they 'like' and you, being nosy click through to see what they 'like' or sneer at it if you don't. Maybe you hit the 'like' button as well and then you forget about it. But, this time I really did like what I saw on Blossom's Facebook page  She has 99 different fabrics to choose from for girls and for boys and will make your little one a bib,or Christmas decorations, or bunting, or cushions, or ......

Log on and design your own bib before 23rd October and if you win Jenna will make up your own design. 

I definitely LIKE. 

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Keeping Squashed Blue Bears On Their Toes.

Stuck in bed (again) with more lurginess since our 'little un' started nursery, I decided to put my time to good use in between eating bowls of custard and mashed potato (not together) to look for some small shoes for our 'dot'. Having been cruising the furniture since 7 months and walking solo since 9 months she needs some shoes but on a visit to Clarkes we discovered that her feet don't yet register on the scale. So we need some little leather soft shoes to tide her over. I got her these fab, RED ones from Twinkle Toes for her naming day last month but they have already taken a hammering at nursery. And I love the perfect little shoes which Ann from Squashed Bear makes by hand. She's a mum on the Wirral just starting out but the shoes she gave us as a raffle prize and the cute little matching bags they come in are beautiful. She's a busy mama but just drop her a message and she'll make something fab for you. Meanwhile on the 'Dear Santa' list are these fab Toadstool pair and the bunny ones, the baboushka ones etc etc etc from Inch Blue. I just hope Santa has his credit card ready.

Pickle Pie Solves A Pickle

Yet another bubba has arrived. Another girl. Abigail. And so I needed another newborn baby gift. I stumbled upon Pickle Pie Creations (love the name) at an NCT Sale where they had donated a raffle prize. Not a name which says what it does on the tin I just had to google it. And I've been looking for an excuse to buy a print ever since. And I'm not disappointed. I haven't even seen the proof yet but I'm already impressed. I emailed Sandra & Tracy at 19.38 this evening and they replied at 19.50. By 20.25 I'd transferred the money and the deal was done. Now that's customer service! To make it even better when I sent a list of cheeky requests, can you use purple ink not pink?, can you do the print landscape? etc etc. They simply said 'Yes'. LIKE. 

Grumpy & Grannimo Great Day out

 We met Grumpy and Grannimo at the eco M&S at Cheshire Oaks today. 

Who needs pink when you've got these bright and cheerful prints? 

Supermarket pink.

I've just got home from picking up a prescription from Adsa (cough cough splutter). Having 20 minutes to kill I thought I'd have a mooch around the baby clothes section to see if I could find a bargain given that my little girl insists on growing,  albeit slowly. Everything yes everything in the baby girl section was pink. Wall to wall pink. Only a few vests weren't pink and they were plain white. Sigh. Why? In every other aisle in the supermarket there are shelves full of different types of products, 20 types of teas, hundreds of different cheese, rows and rows of chocolate bars and fizzy pop. Yet, in the baby girl section its pink pink or er pink. Needless to say I came away empty handed and shaking my head. I can't help but think Asda is missing a trick. 

OLmoost Owl

With a veritable baby boom taking place amongst my friends. One little girl arrived last week, one due this weekend, a boy expected at the end of October and two other 'surprises' due in November I've been struggling to find fun, AFFORDABLE and different 'welcome to the world' gifts. Then I came across OLmoost - a Dutch designer now living in Manchester and who has worked on Miffy and friends and Bob the Builder amongst other things. Her handmade baby toy designs are however nothing like the commercial world of kids daytime tv. Her Olle Rattles are super funky and the must have accessories for any newborn in 2012. Well, that's what I'm telling my friends. I chose the purple Owl Rattle for the latest Steel arrival. Each one is unique with Merike keeping just one of each in stock and at just £4.95 each they are a little something special for that new arrival. 

Chuffed as Meatballs - My Caterpillar Backpack

I am 'chuffed as meatballs' as my dad would say to discover that the Caterpillar back pack I brought for 50p at a NCT Nearly New Sale last weekend turns out to be this one from the Tate. RRP £16.50. 

Ladybird Ladybird Fly Away Home...

£2 for 10 Ladybird buttons incl delivery and using your husband ebay account to buy them - that's not really spending money is it? Anyway, these cheerful little buttons will liven up a red hoody I brought from the boys section at Tesco back in August during that burning hot summer we had (you remember). At just £4 its great for little ones to scuff about in as they learn to crawl and walk. And even with my limited sewing skills sewing on 3 of the 10 buttons shouldn't be too tricky. Though sadly as a new (ish) mummy I still haven't got one of those old Quality Street tins full of different coloured cottons, pins and other paraphernalia that my mum still has, not that it enhanced her dress making skills. I'm sure I'm still waiting for the summer school dress she was making me when I was 5 yrs old. And where do you buy cotton from these days anyway? I'm sure that's one market Tesco hasn't yet cornered. 

Blooming Marvellous Play Suit

This fab play suit was delivered to me the other day for my little girl. I love the bright, vibrant clothes. Not normally a Mini Boden mummy, especially whilst eeeking out the maternity leave pay...I couldn't resist when I saw these Fun Dungarees on offer. They are smidge on the big size for my little un who, I fear will be constantly told 'you'll grow into it'. So maybe by Christmas when she's 1 she'll be able to wear this  6- 12 month outfit to terrorise nursery in. And Mini B gets extra brownie points for advertising their new winter collection for girls in various shades of blue and not pink. Hallelujah!