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).